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JtlFB 


OOSE 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


flA 


THE   LIFE 


—  OF  — 


JOSEPH  SMITH, 


THE    PROPHET. 


BY     OKOROE     ~^-.     CANNON 


JUVENILE     INSTRUCTOR     OFFICE, 

SALT    LAKE    CITY,    UTAH, 
1888. 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


PREFACE. 


JOSEPH  and  Hyrum  are  now  dead;  but,  like  the  first 
martyr  they  yet  speak.  Their  united  voice  is  one  of  testi- 
mony, admonition  and  warning  to  the  world. 

They  lived  men  of  God.  They  died  pure  and  holy, 
sealing  their  testimony  with  their  blood. 

No  men  ever  suffered  greater  persecution  than  they ; 
no  men  were  ever  less  understood  by  their  generation. 

It  is  in  the  hope  that  the  Saints  may  find  joy  in  read- 
ing of  their  beloved  Prophet  and  Patriarch,  and  that  the 
world  may  judge  more  fairly  of  these  benefactors  of  man- 
kind, that  this  book  is  written. 

To  the  Author  its  preparation  has  been  a  loving  duty. 
In  the  midst  of  a  somewhat  busy  and  laborious  life,  he 
has  found  comfort  in  the  contemplation  of  this  great  sub- 
ject. The  closing  chapters,  detailing  the  final  sufferings 
upon  earth  of  the  Prophet  of  God  and  his  ever-constant 
J  brother,  were  finished  in  a  prison  for  adherence  to  the 
§  principles  which  they  taught,  and  for  this,  the  Life  is 
-j.  invested  with  a  dearer  regard.  To  send  the  work  away 
££  now  is  like  being  torn  from  a  beloved  companion  when 

t  most  the  solace  of  his  friendly  presence  is  needed. 
1 1 1 

In  some  respects  this  volume  may  be  imperfect;  the 
circumstances  which  surrounded  its  preparation  were  not 
favorable  to  the  collection  and  arrangement  of  materials. 
But  it  is  believed  to  be  truthful  and  just. 


IV  PREFACE. 

To  many  friends  the  Author  is  indebted  for  information 
here  embodied;  and  he  takes  this  occasion  to  thank  them, 
hoping  to  live  yet  to  meet  them  and  express  his  gratitude 
in  the  flesh. 

That  the  sublime  example  and  inspired  teachings  of 
Joseph,  the  Prophet  of  the  Last  Dispensation,  may  be  of 
eternal  benefit  to  all  who  read  this  Life,  is  the  heart-felt 
wish  of 

THE  AUTHOR. 
UTAH  PENITENTIARY,  October  1,  1888. 


CONTENTS. 


JOSEPH  SMITH     -  Frontispiece. 

HYRUM  SMITH    -  " 

PAGE. 

The  Life  of  Joseph  Smith  the  Prophet  i 

Preface  3 

The  Ripened  Time  18 

The  Apostasy  and  the  Restoration  -       19 

Joseph  Smith  at  Nauvoo  -       24 

The  "  Choice  Seer"        -  25 

CHAPTER   I. 
Joseph's  Humble   Extraction — The  Godliness  and  Fair  Fame  of 

His  Ancestry — A  Premonition  of  His  Work.  31 

CHAPTER    II. 

Birth  of  Joseph — Family  Circumstances — Toil  and  Poverty- 
Removal  to  New  York — Intense  Religious  Excitement.  -  33 

CHAPTER    III. 

Light  from  the  Scriptures — The  Prayer  and  its  Answer — ''This 
is  my  Beloved  Son  :  Hear  Him" — Persecution  and  Scoffing 
of  the  Multitude — Joseph  Doubts  Himself  and  Supplicates 
for  Renewed  Help.  -  35 

CHAPTER    IV. 

The    Angel    Moroni  Visits  Joseph   Thrice    in    One    Night — A 

Record  to  be  Brought  Forth — Vision  of  Cumorah.  -       40 

CHAPTER    V. 

A  Mid-day  Visitation — Joseph  Confides  in  His  Earthly  Father 
—  Cumorah  and  the  Sacred  Box  —  A  New  Probation  is 
Fixed — Successive  Visits  and  Ministrations  of  the  Angel — 
Joseph's  Growth  in  Godliness.  -  -  .  42 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Joseph's  Willing  Toil— Four  Years  of  Waiting— He  Finds  Work 
in  Pennsylvania  — His  Marriage  with  Emma  Hale  — The 
Probation  Completed.  -  .  -  •  46 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Final  Visit  to  Cumorah— Delivery  of  the  Plates  by  the  Angel 
Moroni — Solemn  Caution  to  Joseph — Attacks  by  Assassins 
and  Robbers— Poverty  and  Persecution — Help  from  Mar- 
tin Harris— Removal  to  Pennsylvania.  -  .  49 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

Joseph  Copies  and   Translates   from  the  Plates — Martin  Harris 

Again    Comes    Opportunely  — Professor   Anthon    and    the 

Characters — Martin's  Labor  as  a  Scribe — His  broken  Trust 

—The  Translation  Lost  to  Joseph — The  Prophet  Punished 

for  Wilfullness.  .  .       ^ 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Oliver  Cowdery  is  Sent  of  Heaven  to  Aid  the  Prophet  —  The 
Aaronic  Priesthood  is  Brought  to  Earth  by  Christ's  Fore- 
runner— First  Baptisms  of  This  Dispensation.  -  60 

CHAPTER    X. 

The  Prophet's  Brother  Samuel  Baptized  by  Oliver — Renewed 
Danger  to  the  Work — Help  From  Fayette — Miraculous 
Interposition  to  Aid  David  Whitmer — Hyrum  Smith  and 
Others  Believe  and  are  Baptized.  -  65 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Eleven  Chosen  Witnesses  View  the  Plates— Their  Unimpeachable 
Testimony — Restoration  of  the  Melchisedec  Priesthood  by 
Disciples  of  our  Lord — The  Apostleship  Conferred — Other 
Baptisms — The  Translation  Completed.  69 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Organization  of  the  Church  at  Fayette — Review  of  the  Prophet's 
Labors — His  Unpretentious  Character — The  Courage  which 
Animated  Him  was  Shared  by  His  Associates — The  Witnesses 
and  Early  Members  of  the  Church.  -  75 


CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

PAGE. 

The    All-Comprehending   Character  of  Joseph's    Inspiration — 

First  Public  Meeting  of  the  Church  after  Organization — 
Believers  Asking  Baptism — Mobs  Seeking  the  Life  or  the 
Liberty  of  the  Prophet — Twice  Arrested  and  Acquitted — 
Joseph's  Lawyer  Hears  a  Mysterious  Voice — Copying  the 
Revelations.  -  82 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Dsssentions  Within  the  Fold — Oliver  Cowdery  and  Hiram  Page 
Lead  the  Whitmers  Astray — Mobs  at  Colesville  and  Perse-     • 
cution   at  Harmony  —  Isaac   Hale  and   his  Family  Oppose 
Joseph — The  Prophet  Removes  to  Fayette — Prophetic  Out- 
line of  the  Gathering.  -       91 

CHAPTER    XV. 

The  Second  Conference  of  the  Church  —  Harmony  and  Love 
among  the  Elders — Accessions  to  the  Congregation  —  The 
Mission  to  the  Lamanites — Individual  Revelations — God's 
Chosen  Servants  in  Missouri.  -  97 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

Sidney  Rigdon  and  Edward  Partridge  Join  the  Church — Joseph 
Commences  the  Translation  of  the  Scriptures  —  Saints 
Commanded  to  Gather  at  Ohio — Joseph  Migrates  from  New 
York — The  Kirtland  Saints  Fall  into  Error — God's  power 
Manifested — Important  Revelations.  -  103 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

Fourth  General  Conference — God  Designates  Missouri  as  the 
Place  of  Holding  the  next  Conference — Transgression  of 
the  Thompson  Branch — Joseph  Goes  to  the  Place  of  the 
New  Jerusalem.  -  113 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

On  the  Borders  of  the  Wilderness — Laying  the  first  Log — Dedi- 
cation and  Consecration  of  the  Land  of  Zion  and  the 
Temple  Site — Back  to  Civilization — Sign-seeking  and  Vio- 
lence. -  -  -  -  -  -  -  116 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

PAGE. 
A   Methodist  Priest   Converted  by  a  Miracle — Wants  Power  to 

Smite — The  Prophet  at  Hiram  Engaged  in  Translating — 
Order  for  Publication  of  "The  Evening  and  Morning 
Star" — Man-made  Commandments.  -  121 

CHAPTER    XX. 

A  Night  of  Fury — The  Murderous  Mob  at  Hiram — Joseph 
Dragged  from  his  Bed,  and  is  Stripped,  Bruised  and  almost 
Slain  by  a  Profane  and  Drunken  Crowd  Led  by  Apostates 
and  Sectarian  Ministers.  -  -  -  128 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Departure  of  the  Prophet  from  Hiram  for  the  Consecrated  Land 
in  Missouri — Accepted  as  the  President  of  the  High  Priest- 
hood— Returning  from  Zion,  an  Attempt  is  Made  to  Poison 
Him — Saved  Under  Bishop  Whitney's  Administration.  -  132 

CHAPTER   XXII. 

Brigham  Young  Receives  the  Gospel — His  Memorable  Meeting 
with  the  Prophet — His  Constant  Devotion — "That  Man  will 
yet  Preside  over  the  Church" — A  Revelation  on  Priesthood 
— Joseph  Visits  the  Eastern  States — His  Numerous  Labors — 
Prophecy  Concerning  the  Civil  War — Its  Subsequent  Fulfill- 
ment. -  134 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Organization  of  the  School  of  the  Prophets — The  Translation  of 
the  Scriptures — The  Word  of  Wisdom  R.evealed — Joseph 
Selects  Counselors — The  Savior  and  Angels  Appear  after  the 
Ordination — Lands  Purchased  in  and  around  Kirtland.  -  141 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Threats  of  a  Mob  of  Three  Hundred  at  Independence — Purity 
Required  of  Church  Members — Excommunication  of  Dr. 
P.  Hurlbert — His  Threats  Against  the  Prophet — Pixley  joins 
the  Mob — His  Malicious  Falsehoods — Meeting  of  a  Base 
Element — Wicked  Determinations — Destruction  of  the 
Saints'  Printing  Establishment — W.  W.  Phelps  Driven  from 
Home — Bishop  Partridge  and  Elder  Allen  Tarred  and 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAGE. 

Feathered — "You  Must  Leave  the  Country" — Another 
Meeting  of  the  Enemy — The  Saints  Agree  to  Leave  Jackson 
County.  -  -  146 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Corner  Stone  of  the  Kirtland  Temple  Laid — A  Printing 
Establishment  Opened — The  Prophet's  Mission  to  Canada 
—  A  Minister's  Opposition  —  Baptisms  —  Persecutions  at 
Kirtland — Wilford  Woodruff  Receives  the  Gospel.  -  152 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

The  Jackson  County  Persecutions — Appeal  to  Governor  Dunklin 
—His  Timid  Reply — Heartless  Drivings — A  Brutal  Murder 
— Boggs  Allows  the  Mob  to  Organize  as  a  Militia — Pitcher 
Placed  in  Command — Certain  Men  Taken  in  Custody  by 
the  Mob — Settlement  in  Clay  County — Court  of  Inquiry.  157 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Hurlbert's  Efforts  to  Destroy  Joseph — High  Councils  Organized 
— The  Camp  of  Zion — A  Hard  Journey — Rattlesnakes  in 
Camp— The  Prophet's  Philosophy — Elder  Humphrey's 
Experience.  164 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Vain  Appeals  of  the  Jackson  County  Saints  for  Protection — The 
Approach  of  Zion's  Camp — Attempts  to  Raise  an  Opposing 
Army — James  Campbell's  Prophecy  and  its  Fulfillment — A 
Providential  Storm — Remarkable  Rise  of  Fishing  River — 
Joseph  States  the  Object  of  Zion's  Camp — A  Comforting 
Revelation.  -  168 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Scourge  of  Zion's  Camp — Joseph  and  Hyrum  Attacked  by 
Cholera  —  Their  Deliverance — -The  Camp  Disbanded  — 
Threats  Against  the  Prophet — His  Fearlessness — Joseph 
Returns  to  Kirtland — Sylvester  Smith's  Charge  of  Impurity 
—The  Prophet  Vindicated — Visit  to  Michigan — The  Law 
of  Tithing.  -  174 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

PAGE. 
The  Calling  of  Christ's  Apostles  in  the  Last  Dispensation  of  the 

Fullness  of  Times — Duties  and  Powers  of  the  Twelve — Their 
Labors  in  the  World — Organization  of  the  Seventies.          -     182 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Joseph  as  a  Restorer  as  well  as  a  Prophet — The  Book  of  Abra- 
ham— Joseph's  Growth  into  Scholarship  and  Statesmanship 
—Difficulties  with  William  Smith.  -  186 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 

Completion  and  Dedication  of  the  Kirtland  Temple — Sublime 
Visions  to  the  Saints — The  Words  of  the  Divine  Redeemer 
— Joseph's  Grandmother  Visits  Him,  then  Dies  in  Peace — 
His  Mission  to  the  East.  -  -  193 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Clay  County  Sorrowfully  Bids  the  Saints  to  Migrate  into  the 
Wilderness — Joseph  Sends  a  Dignified  Letter  to  the  Citi- 
zens— Continuance  of  Mob  Autocracy  in  Jackson — Dunk- 
lin's  Helplessness — The  Saints  Form  the  New  County  of 
Caldwell  and  Lay  Out  Far  West.  -  -  199 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  First  Serious  Apostasy  and  the  First  Great  Missionary  Move- 
ment— Dissensions  at  Kirtland,  and  Successful  Labors  in 
England — Joseph  Meets  John  Taylor  in  Canada — Trials  and 
Murderous  Mobs  at  Painesville  —  The  Prophet  Wades 
Through  Swamps  in  the  Night,  Carrying  Sidney  upon  his 
Back.  -  210 

CHAPTER    XXXV. 

John  Taylor's  Brave  Defence  of  Joseph— The  Prophet  Encoun- 
ters the  Spirit  of  Apostasy  in  Missouri — Hyrum  in  the  First 
Presidency — Brigham  Young's  Courage  and  Devotion- 
Joseph  Driven  from  Kirtland — David  W.  Patten's  Prophetic 
Objection — Sad  Excommunications — Fate  of  Prominent 
Men — Adam-ondi-Ahman — The  Gathering.  219 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

PAGE. 

Peniston  Arouses  a  Mob — His  Exciting  Speech  causes  a  Cruel 
Attack  upon  Twelve  Unarmed  Brethren — One  Hundred 
and  Fifty  Mobocrats  Drive  them  from  the  Polls — Adam 
Black's  Promise — False  Charges  Against  the  Saints — The 
Sheriff  of  Daviess  County  Arrests  Joseph — Boggs  Orders  the 
Raising  of  the  Militia — The  Prophet  Perceives  the  Real 
Object  of  this  Order.  -  230 

CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

Joseph  Volunteers  for  Trial  and  Lyman  Wight  follows — Begin- 
ning the  Study  of  Law — The  Trial  before  a  Coward  Judge, 
with  a  Perjured  Witness — Militia  Called  Out,  but  the  Mob 
Practically  Defies  it— Boggs  Continues  the  Work  of  Oppres- 
sion. -  237 

CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

Bombardment  of  De  Witt — Appeal  of  the  Saints  to  Governor 

Boggs — His  Heartless  Reply — Joseph's  Presence  Encourages 

the  Brethren — The  Saints  leave  their  Possessions  in  De  Witt 

—They  go  to  Far  West — Adam-ondi-Ahman  Devastated — 

The  Saints   Organize  for  Defence — Joseph  Controls  a  Mob 

who  Design  to  Murder  him— Apostasy  of  Thomas  B.  Marsh 

—Death  of  David  W.  Patten — "Whatever  you  do  Else,  oh, 

Do  not  Deny  the  Faith."  244 

CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

Boggs  Issues  an  Order  of  Extermination — General  Atchison's 
Threat  Against  the  Tyrant — Avard  Organizes  the  Danites — 
The  Haun's  Mill  Massacre — Far  West  Besieged — Three 
noble  Ones  Refuse  to  Desert  their  Friends — Colonel  Hin- 
kle's  base  Treachery — "These  are  the  Prisoners  I  Agreed  to 
Deliver  up" — A  Court-martial  Sentences  Joseph  and  his 
Companions  to  Death — General  Doniphan's  Noble  Action 
— Demoniac  Deeds  Enacted  in  Far  West.  -  252 

CHAPTER    XL. 

The  Prophet's  Life  Saved  by  the  Vanity  of  Lucas — Farewell  of 
the  Prisoners  to  their   Families — On  Toward  Independence 
—Continued  Ravages  at  Far  West — General  Clark's  Inhu- 
man Address — The  Movement  against  Adam-ondi-Ahman.      258 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 
CHAPTER    XLL 

Joseph   Preaches  in  Jackson  and   Fulfills  his  own  Prophecy — 
Favor  in  the  Eyes  of  their  Captors — Drunken  Guards — In 
Richmond  Jail — Majesty  in  Chains — Clark's  Dilemma — The 
Mock  Trial— Treason   to   Believe  the  Bible— Close  of  the 
Year  1838.  -     264 

CHAPTER    XLIL 

The  Pledge  for  the  Poor  Saints  in  Missouri — Brigham  Young 
Driven  Forth — Efforts  to  Secure  the  Prophet's  Release — 
Removal  to  Gallatin — Examination  of  the  Case  by  a 
Drunken  Jury — Wholesale  Indictment — Change  of  Venue 
to  Boone— Escape  from  Missouri  to  Illinois.  -  275 

CHAPTER    XLIIL 

The  Exodus  Completed— A  Fragment  of  its  Agonies— The  Woes 
of  a  Martyr's  Widow,  a  Type  of  the  General  Suffering — 
Threat  that  one  of  Joseph's  Prophecies  should  Fail — But  it 
is  Fulfilled  by  Courageous  Apostles — Missouri's  Punishment 
and  Atonement.  -  283 

CHAPTER    XLIV. 

The  Location  of  Commerce — Nauvoo,  the  Beautiful — Pity  from 
Prominent  Men  in  Illinois — A  Day  of  Miracles — The 
Prophet  Raises  the  Sick  at  the  Sound  of  His  Voice — Joseph 
Sounds  the  Trump  of  Warning — The  Mission  of  the 
Apostles — Their  Self-sacrifice  and  Courage — Conference  at 
Commerce.  -  291 

CHAPTER    XLV. 

Reasons  for  an  Appeal  to  Washington — Joseph  and  Companions 
Depart  for  the  National  Capital— The  Prophet's  Act  of 
Physical  Heroism — He  Sees  Ingratitude — Martin  Van 
Buren  and  Joseph  Smith — The  Latter 's  Scorn — Cowardice 
and  Chicanery — "Your  Cause  is  Just,  but  I  can  do  Nothing 
for  you."  -  301 

•CHAPTER    XLVI. 

The  Mission  of  the  Apostles — Miraculous  Opening  of  their  way 
to  the  Old  World— Ordination  of  Willard  Richards— Special 


CONTENTS.  X11I 

PAGE. 
Labors  of  Each  Apostle — The  First   Immigrants  to  Zion — 

Joseph's  Letters  of  Instruction   and  Comfort  to  Elders  and 
Saints  Abroad.  -     307 

CHAPTER    XLVII. 

Nativoo  the  Beautiful — Events  There  During  the  Year  1840 — 
Renewal  of  Outrages  by  the  Missourians — Death  of  the 
Prophet's  Father  and  Edward  Partridge — Return  of  Williams 
and  Phelps — Joseph's  Hope  for  His  City — Demand  by 
Governor  Boggs  for  the  Prophet  and  His  Brethren.  -  313 

CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

Joseph  Smith  at  Nauvoo — His  Physical  and  Mental  Personality — 
—Views  of  His  Opponent  Commentators — Testimony  of 
the  Spirit  to  His  Inspiration.  -  -  321 

CHAPTER    XLIX. 

Dr.  J.  C.  Bennett  Joins  the  Church — Nauvoo  City  Chartered — 
Nauvoo  University  and  Legion  Organized — Joseph  Smith 
Commissioned  as  Lieutenant- General  of  the  State  Militia — 
Temple  Site — Dedication  of  the  Temple — An  Important 
Conference.  -  340 

CHAPTER  L. 

Joseph's  Visit  to  Governor  Carlin  at  Quincy — Arrest  on  the  Old 
Requisition  from  Missouri — A  Sheriff  Nursed  by  His 
Prisoner — Judge  Douglas  Discharges  the  Prophet  on  Writ 
of  Habeas  Corpus — Browning's  Eloquent  Appeal — Death  of 
Don  Carlos  Smith — Events  at  Nauvoo,  Closing  1841.  350 

CHAPTER  LI. 

The  Power  of  Human  Harmony — Changing  Hell  to  Heaven — 
Joseph  as  a  Servant— His  Sketch  of  the  Church— A  Ringing 
Editorial— Organization  of  the  Relief  Society— Bennett 
Begins  his  Plots.  -  -  36^ 

CHAPTER  LII. 

Bennett's  Impurities— His  Cowardly  Stab  at  the  Prophet's  Name 
and  Life— Fellowship  Withdrawn  from  the  Evil-Doer — 
Quoting  His  Own  Letters  to  Injure  the  Saints— Attempt 
to  Kill  Boggs— Absurb  Charges  Against  "The  Mormons" 
--Joseph's  Horse,  "Joe  Duncan  "—A  Prophecy.  -  -  375 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 
CHAPTER  LIII. 

The  Prophet  Charged  with  being  an  Accessory  to  the 
Attempted  Assassination  of  Boggs-Orrin  Porter  Rockwell 
Accused  of  the  Crime — The  Governor's  Requisition  -The 
Arrest— The  Prophet's  Desire  for  Peace— Wilson  Law's 
Brave  Words —Emma  Smith's  Noble  Appeal  to  the 
Governor -Carlin's  False  Reply— Amasa  M.  Lyman 
Ordained  an  Apostle— Three  Hundred  and  Eighty  Faithful 
Volunteers.  380 

CHAPTER  LIV. 

Attempt  to  Capture  Joseph —Reward  Offered — Tricks  to  Entrap 
the  Prophet— He  Submits  to  Arrest  — Visits  Governor  Ford 
—His  Examination  and  Release — A  Traitor's  Threat.  389 

CHAPTER    LV. 

A  Breathing  Spell — Joseph's  Anticipation  of  his  Sacrifice — 
Many  Prophecies  and  an  Important  Theological  Epoch  in 
the  Early  Part  of  1843 — Wrestling  and  Other  Manly  Sports 
— Extracts  from  his  Sermons — Attack  on  the  Nauvoo  Charter 
— The  Lull  was  Brief.  -  401 

CHAPTER  LVI. 

The  Celestial  Order  of  Marriage — Eternity  and  Plurality  of  the 
Covenant — The  Revelation  Written   and  Delivered   to  the 
High  Council — Joseph,  Hyrum  and  Others  Obey  it.  -     411 

CHAPTER  LVII. 

An  Evil  Quartette — Reynolds,  Ford,  Bennett  and  Owens — A 
New  Writ— Joseph  Kidnapped  at  Dixon  and  Threatened 
with  Death — Efforts  for  Release  on  Habeas  Corpus — A 
Wrestling  Match — Entry  into  Nauvoo — Joseph  Released — 
The  Kidnappers  ask  for  a  Mob  Army — Independence  Day 
at  Nauvoo.  415 

CHAPTER  LVIII. 

Growth  of  Nauvoo — The  Mansion — Sidney  Rigdon's  Recreancy 
— Mobocratic  Conventions  at  Carthage — Inciting  the  Mis- 
sourians  to  Kidnap — The  Prophet  Checks  a  Bombastic  Pol- 
itician— Appeals  for  Redress — Joy  on  a  Christmas  Day — 
Orrin  Porter  Rockwell  Back  from  Missouri.  -  426 


CONTENTS.  XV 

CHAFFER    LIX. 

PAGE. 
Joseph  Smith  for  President  of  the  United   States — An   Inspired 

Candidate — His  Views  of  the  Powers  and  Policy  of  the 
General  Government — How  the  Country  could  have  Saved 
the  Carnage  of  War.  -  438 

CHAPTER  LX. 

Pacific  Address  by  the  Prophet — The  Mob  ask  God  to  Bless 
Their  Work  of  Massacre — Looking  to  the  West — A  Sublime 
Sermon— Apostates  and  Their  Work— Joseph  Indicted  for 
Polygamy.  -  447 

CHAPTER    LXI. 

The  First  and  Only  Issue  of  the  Nauvoo  "Expositor" — Its  Mur- 
derous Purpose — Removal  of  a  Nuisance  and  Eradication 
of  its  Cause — Trial  of  the  Mayor  and  Others,  and  Their 
Acquittal  in  an  Honest  Court — Gathering  of  the  Mobs  — 
Threats  of  Extermination— Nauvoo  Under  Martial  Law.  -  452 

CHAPTER    LXII. 

Joseph's  Dream— His  Last  Public  Address— Consciousness  of  His 

Impending  Fate— His  Love  for  His  Brethren.  -     463 

CHAPTER    LXIIL 

Pontius  Pilate  Ford's  Entrance  upon  the  Scene  at  Carthage — 
The  Old  Cry  of  "Crucify !  "—Joseph's  Final  Effort  to 
Avert  Danger  from  Nauvoo  -Lack  of  Faith  and  Suspicions 
of  Cowardice— A  Fatal  Blindness— Like  a  Lamb  to  the 
Slaughter— The  Arms  Demanded— Farewell  to  Nauvoo— At 
Carthage.  -  468 

CHAPTER    LXIV. 

Voluntary  Yielding  to  Process— Joseph  and  Hyrum  Charged 
with  Treason  —Ford's  Cowardice  and  Falsehood— In  Carth- 
age Jail— The  First  Day  and  Night— Preaching  to  the 
Guards — Ford  Leaves  the  Martyrs  to  their  Fate.  -  476 

CHAPTER  LXV. 

Administration  of  the  Holy  Endowments— The  Work  of  the 
Closing  Months— Union  of  Satanic  Forces  against  the 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 
Prophet— A   Momentary    Glance  at  him  Before   the  Final 

Hour.  -     483 

CHAPTER    LXVI. 

The  Last  Day — Ford's  Action  at  Nauvoo— Conspiracy  Between 
the  Guards  and  the  Murderous  Mob  Militia — The  Prisoners 
Left  to  their  Fate—  "A  Poor  Wayfaring  Man  of  Grief"— 
The  Assault  and  the  Murder— The  End.  487 

Anecdotes  and  Sayings  of  the  Prophet     -  -     495 

Appendix.  -     508 


THE    HOUR 


The    Ripened    Time. 


Babylon  the  great  is  fallen,  is  fallen,  and  is  become  the  habitation  of  devils,  and 
the  hold  of  every  foul  spirit ';  and  a  cage  of  every  unclean  and  hateful  bird. 

For  all  nations  have  drunk  of  the  -wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornication,  and  the 
kings  of  the  earth  have  committed  fornication  "with  her,  and  the  merchants  of  the 
earth  are  waxed  rich  through  the  abundance  of  her  delicacies. 

*  *  *  Co  me  out  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her  sins 
and  that  ye  receive  not  of  her  plagues. 

For  her  sins  have  reached  unto  heaven,  and  God  hath  remembered  her  iniquities. 
THE  PROPHECY  OF  JOHN  THE  REVELATOR. 


THE  APOSTASY  AND  THE  RESTORATION. 

IN  the  reign  of  Tiberius  of  Rome,  the  Lord  Jesus  was 
crucified.  At  the  hour  of  the  atonement,  His  Gospel  was  to 
the  dominant  earthly  power  only  "a  deadly  superstition,"  * 
"a  strange  and  pestilent  superstition, "f  sought  to  be  crushed 
at  any  cost  by  the  ruthless  power  of  the  pagan  empire.  Thus 
came  the  persecutions  of  the  early  Christians,  lasting  until 
after  Christianity,  with  irresistible  power,  had  "sprung  up, 
even  in  Rome,  the  common  reservoir  for  all  the  streams  of 
wickedness  and  infamy."* 

In  the  midst  of  these  early  tribulations,  the  plain  and 
simple  Gospel  was  becoming  involved  and  mystified  by  the 
many  opposing  sects  which  professed  to  believe  in  Jesus;  and 
yet  it  retained  so  much  of  divinity  as  enabled  it  to  resist  per- 
secution and  idolatry,  and  made  it,  in  the  fourth  century,  the 
established  religion  of  Rome. 

This  elevation  was  not  achieved  without  some  sacrifice 
of  identity.  And  in  the  commingling  with  error,  truth 
yielded  much.| 

The  Roman  emperor,  Constantine  L,  was  led  to  show 
favor  to  the  unpopular  people;  but  his  friendliness  to  Christian- 
ity demanded  and  received  its  price.  He  sought  as  much  the 
welfare  of  the  state  as  the  progress  of  the  religion  to  which 
he  had  been  only  in  part  converted;  and  when  he  exacted 
concessions  of  creed  and  principle,  the  Fathers  felt  forced  to 
comply.  It  was  Constantine  who  called  the  first  Council  of 
Nice.  He  presided  over  its  opening  session,  and  dictated  its 
policy  in  accordance  with  his  own  imperial  ambitions.§ 

*     Tacitus. 

f     Suetonius. 

J     Paganism,  unable  to  oppose  Christianity  successfully,  has  done  much  to  cor- 
rupt it,  and  in  numberless  ways  has  made  inroads  upon  its  purity. 

Prof.   T.  M.  Lindsay,  Glasgow. 

$     The  interest  of  the  emperor  [Constantine]  was  still  [at  the  Council  of  Nice] 
primarily  political  and  official,  rather  than  personal.  W.  Browning  Smith. 


XX  THE    APOSTA&Y    AND    THE    RESTORATION. 

From  that  time  on,  for  twelve  hundred  years,  the  Church 
of  Rome  grew  in  lustful  power.  The  first  great  check  was 
when  the  German  monk,  Martin  Luther,  with  bared  feet,  fled 
in  disappointment  from  the  debauched  court  of  Pope  Leo  X. 
Luther's  courage  partly  stripped  the  idol  of  its  awe-invoking 
cloak  of  mystery  and  dread  threats;  and  never  more  did  the 
whole  civilized  world  crouch  in  terror  at  the  feet  of  Rome. 

The  freedom  of  thought  heralded  by  the  Reformation,  at 
last  found  its  abuse  in  ths  Age  of  Reason  and  the  blas- 
phemy of  the  French  Revolution.  At  first  rejecting  Chris- 
tianity for  a  dream  of  paganism  restored,  the  infidels,  in 
turn,  exchanged  pagan  mythology,  with  its  gods  many,  for 
their  own  new  mythology,  with  its  gods  none. 

This  tempest  of  profane  unbelief  was  too  violent  to  be 
enduring.  A  re-awakening  to  religious  fervor  was  manifest 
in  Christendom.  Men  gladly  blotted  from  their  memories  the 
dread  of  the  auto-da-fe;  the  inquisition  dungeons  and  racks  of 
Spain  and  Italy,  the  funeral  fires  of  England,  the  witch-hang- 
ing and  Quaker-driving  of  the  New  World,  and  all  the 
atrocities  sacrilegiously  practiced  as  ceremonies  of  worship. 
Mankind  turned  back  by  thousands  to  find  satisfaction  for 
their  inherent  necessity — belief  in  a  Higher  Power. 

But  that  Higher  Power  was  itself  an  unfathomable 
mystery.  God  had  been  misunderstood  for  centuries.  Much 
of  the  world  had  known  nothing  of  Him — His  nature  or  His 
purposes — from  the  death  of  Christ's  Apostles.  The  men 
who  had  known  Him  walked  no  more  in  the  midst  of 
mankind.  Prophets  and  apostles,  while  they  lived,  taught 
their  fellow-men  that  He  was  a  distinct  personality — a 
glorious  Being  in  whose  likeness  man  was  created.  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  was  declared  "to  be  made  like  unto 
his  brethren" — "made  in  the  likeness  of  men" — and  "in  the 
likeness  of  sinful  flesh";  yet  inspired  men  claimed  Him  as 
being  "in  the  form  of  God" — "the  express  image  of  His  per- 
son"— "the  image  of  the  invisible  God."  But,  as  generations 
and  centuries  passed,  true  knowledge  concerning  the  Creator 
faded  away.  A  spiritual  meaning  concerning  His  personage 
and  attributes  was  given  to  the  testimony  of  those  who  had 


THR    APOSTASY    AND    THE    RESTORATION.  XXI 

known  Him.  Modern  sectarianism  taught  the  world  that 
God,  the  Father,  of  whose  person  Jesus  was  the  "express 
image,"  was  an  all-pervading  God  of  spirit — a  Being  who, 
without  any  tangible  existence,  is  everywhere  in  the  material 
world — a  Being  "without  body,  parts  or  passions,"  "whose 
center  was  nowhere  and  whose  circumference  was  everywhere." 
Professing  to  have  an  understanding  of  the  Deity,  they  dif- 
fered but  little  from  the  Pantheists,  who,  rejecting  a  personal 
God,  made  bold  avowal  of  an  all-existing  God  of  nature — the 
combined  forces  and  laws  which  are  manifested  in  the  exist- 
ing universe. 

Thus  blinded,  how  could  mankind  offer  true  worship  to 
the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth? 

The  Eastern  World  had  lost  this  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
earlier  than  the  Western  Hemisphere.  Upon  the  land  of 
North  America,  four  hundred  years  after  the  birth  of  our 
Savior  and  Master,  there  stood  at  least  one  man  who  knew 
the  Lord  God  Almighty  as  a  distinct  personality,  a  Being 
capable  of  communicating  Himself  to  man.  That  man  was 
Moroni,  the  son  of  Mormon,  whose  testimony  abides  now  and 
must  abide  through  all  the  ages  to  come.* 

It  was  upon  this  land  that  Jesus  last  appeared  to  His 
brethren  who  dwelt  in  mortality;  and  it  was  predestined  that 


*  Behold,  will  ye  believe  in  the  day  of  your  visitation,  behold,  when  the  Lord 
shall  come ;  yea,  even  that  great  day  when  the  earth  shall  be  rolled  together  as  a 
scroll,  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat;  yea, in  that  great  day  when  ye 
shall  .be  brought  to  stand  before  the  Lamb  of  God,  then  will  ye  say  there  is  no  God  ? 

Then  will  ye  longer  deny  the  Christ,  or  can  ye  behold  the  Lamb  of  God? 

For  behold,  when  ye  shall  be  brought  to  see  your  nakedness  before  God,  and  also, 
the  glory  of  God,  and  the  holiness  of  Jesus  Christ,  it  will  kindle  a  flame  of  unquench- 
able fire  upon  you. 

0  then  ye  unbelieving,  turn  ye  unto  the  Lord;  cry  mightily  unto  the  Father  in 
the  name  of  Jesus,  that  perhaps  ye  may  be  found  spotless,  pure,  fair,  and  white,  hav- 
ing been  cleansed  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  at  that  great  and  last  day. 

And  again  I  speak  unto  you,  who  deny  the  revelations  of  God,  and  say  that  they 
are  done  away,  that  there  are  no  revelations,  nor  prophecies,  nor  gifts,  nor  healing, 
nor  speaking  with  tongues,  and  the  interpretation  of  tongues. 

Behold  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  denieth  these  things,  knoweth  not  the  gospel  or 
Christ. 

For  do  we  not  read  that  God  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever;  and  in 
him  there  is  no  variableness  neither  shadow  of  changing? 


XX11  THE    APOSTASY    AND    THE    RESTORATION. 

upon  this  land  man  was  to  first  receive  a  renewal  of  divine 
revelation.  After  the  discovery  of  the  hemisphere  which  had 
been  so  long  concealed  from  the  knowledge  of  those  who  had 
dwelt  upon  the  other  parts  of  the  earth,  nearly  three  centuries 
elapsed  before  a  nation  with  a  charter  of  liberty  divinely 
ordained  was  established.  In  God's  providence  it  was  neces- 
sary that  those  who  had  been  led  here  by  His  hand  should 
receive  political  emancipation  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  res- 
toration of  the  gospel  in  its  purity  and  the  Church  of  Christ 
in  the  plenitude  of  its  power.  Political  salvation  had  first 
been  declared,  that  men's  bodies  .might  be  free  and  their  souls 
be  filled  with  high  aspirations  to  prepare  for  the  greater 
enfranchisement  and  redemption  which  were  to  appear. 

The  period  succeeding  the  Revolution  was  filled  with  a 
veritable  babel  of  religious  creeds.  Every  obsolete  tradition 
was  revived;  every  possible  human  fancy  of  doctrine  was 
promulgated;  and  each  found  its  upholding  sect.  Confusion 
and  doubt  waxed  fat,  feeding  upon  human  fears.  No  earthly 
wisdom  could  bring  peace  to  the  sects  or  make  harmony 
among  the  creeds. 

It  became  the  ripe  hour  for  the  Heavens  to  open  and 
with  their  Celestial  light  show  to  man  the  way,  out  of  the 
abyss  into  which  he  had  fallen.  It  became  the  hour  for  the 
re-establishment  of  heavenly  truth — the  Gospel  of  Christ  and  its 
direct  communications  between  God  and  humanity:  a  religion 
which  should  cast  off  alike  the  skepticism  of  "reason"  and 
the  shackles  of  superstition;  a  religion  which  should  be  bold 
in  righteous  faith  and  convincing  in  its  revealed  philosophy. 
By  Divine  aid  the  way  had  been  paved  for  this  renewal. 

For  the  greater  part  of  eighteen  hundred  years  humanity 
had  been  perverting  the  Gospel  of  Jesus,  the  Anointed. 

Then  the  Eternal  Father,  and  His  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
revealed  Themselves  from  heaven.  This  glorious  manifestation 
was  followed  by  the  angel  flying  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  who 
proclaimed  that  the  restoration  of  the  Gospel  had  come. 


THE    MAN. 


Joseph   Smith   at   Nauvoo 


May  is,  1844. 

It  is  by  no  means  improbable  that  some  future  text-book,  for  the  use  of  generations 
yet  unborn,  will  contain  a  question  something  like  this  :  What  historical  American  of 
the  nineteenth  century  has  exerted  the  most  powerful  influence  upon  the  destinies  of  his 
countrymen  ?  And  it  is  by  no  means  impossible  that  the  answer  to  that  interrogatory  may 
be  thus  written  :  JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  MORMON  PR  OPHE  T.  And  the  reply, 
absurd  as  it  doubtless  seems  to  most  men  now  living,  may  be  an  obvious  commonplace  to 
their  descendants.  History  deals  in  surprises  and  paradoxes  quite  as  startling  as  this. 
The  man  who  established  a  religion  in  this  age  of  free  debate,  who  was  and  is  to-day 
accepted  by  hundreds  of  thousands  as  a  direct  emissary  from  the  Most  High — such  a 
rare  human  being  is  not  to  be  disposed  of  by  pelting  his  memory  with  unsavory  epithets. 
*  *  *  The  most  vital  questions  Americans  are  asking  each  other  to-day 
have  to  do  with  this  man  and  what  he  has  left  us.  *  *  *  Burning  questions 
they  are,  which  must  give  a  prominent  place  in  the  history  of  the  country  to  that  sturdy 
self-asserter  whom  I  visited  at  Nauvoo.  Joseph  Smith,  claiming  to  be  an  inspired 
teacher,  faced  adversity  such  as  few  men  have  been  called  to  meet,  enjoyed  a  brief  sea- 
son of  prosperity  such  as  few  men  have  ever  attained,  and,  finally,  forty-three  days 
after  I  saw  him,  went  cheerfully  to  a  martyr  s  death.  When  he  surrendered  his  person 
to  Governor  Ford,  in  order  to  prevent  the  shedding  of  blood,  the  Prophet  had  a 
presentiment  of  what  was  before  him.  " I  am  going  like  a  lamb  to  the.  slaughter,"  he 
is  reported  to  have  said ;  "but  I  am  as  calm  as  a  summer  s  morning.  I  have  a  con- 
science void  of  offence  and  shall  die  innocent." 

JOSIAH  QUINCY'S  "FIGURES  OF  THE  PAST." 


THE    '  CHOICE    SEER." 


Ix  the  day  of  Jesus,  every  act  and  every  circumstance  of 
His  life  was  ridiculed  and  belittled  by  His  jealous  enemies. 
But  the  record  of  His  career,  from  which  the  present  world  of 
Christians  makes  up  its  judgment  of  Him,  was  not  written 
until  all  insignificant  or  paltry  things  had  been  forgotten;  and 
now  His  character,  illuminated  by  the  eternal  sunshine  of 
Heaven,  stands  outlined  against  the  blue  vastness  of  the  past 
in  sublime  simplicity.  Let  us  view  Joseph  Smith  in  the  same 
light — see  him  as  he  towered  in  the  full  radiance  of  his  labors; 
see  him  the  reconciler  of  divergent  sects  and  doctrines,  the 
oracle  of  the  Almighty  to  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues  and 
peoples. 

Joseph  Smith  had  been  a  retiring  youth — the  Spirit  made 
him  bold  to  declare  to  rulers  and  potentates  and  all  mankind, 
the  Gospel  again  revealed.  He  had  been  a  humble  fanner 
lad — Divine  authority  sat  so  becomingly  upon  him  that  men 
looked  at  him  with  reverent  awe.  He  had  been  unlearned  in 
the  great  things  of  art  and  science — he  walked  with  God  until 
human  knowledge  was  to  his  eyes  an  open  book,  and  Celestial 
light  beamed  through  his  mind. 

His  lofty  soul  comprehended  the  grandeur  of  his  mission 
upon  earth;  and  with  divine  fortitude  he  fulfilled  the  destiny 
which  God  had  ordained  for  him  before  the  world  was. 

When  he  had  achieved  the  prime  of  his  manhood,  he 
seemed  to  combine  all  attractions  and  excellences.  His  phys- 
ical person  was  the  fit  habitation  of  his  exalted  spirit.  He 
was  more  than  six  feet  in  height,  with  expansive  chest  and 
clean-cut  limbs — a  staunch  and  graceful  figure.  His  head, 
crowned  with  a  mass  ot  soft,  wavy  hair,  was  grandly  poised. 
His  face  possessed  a  complexion  of  such  clearness  and  trans- 
parency that  the  soul  appeared  to  shine  through.  He  wore 


XXVI 

no  beard,  and  the  full  strength  and  beauty  of  his  countenance 
impressed  all  beholders  at  a  glance.  He  had  eyes  which 
seemed  to  read  the  hearts  of  men.  His  mouth  was  one  of  min- 
gled power  and  sweetness.  His  majesty  of  air  was  natural,  not 
studied.  Though  full  of  personal  and  prophetic  dignity 
whenever  occasion  demanded,  he  could  at  other  times  unbend 
and  be  as  happy  and  unconventional  as  a  boy.  This  was  one 
of  his  most  striking  characteristics ;  and  it  was  sometimes 
held  up  to  scorn  by  his  traducers  that  the  chosen  "  man  of 
God  "should  at  times  mingle  as  a  man  of  earth  with  his 
earthly  brethren.  And  yet  it  is  a  false  ridicule  ;  for  Savior 
and  prophets  must,  like  other  men,  eat,  drink  and  wear 
apparel.  They  have  the  physical  -necessities  and  the  affec- 
tions and  enjoyments  which  are  common  to  other  men. 
And  it  is  this  petty  human  fact — that  a  divine  apostle  with 
an  .earthly  body  has  hunger  and  thirst  to  appease,  that  he 
cannot  always  be  prophesying,  but  has  hours  to  smile  with 
the  gay  and  to  weep  with  the  saddened — which  leaves  him 
"without  honor  in  his  own  country." 

But  whether  engaging  in  manly  sport,  during  hours  of 
relaxation,  or  proclaiming  words  of  wisdom  in  pulpit  or 
grove,  he  was  ever  the  leader.  His  magnetism  was  master- 
ful, and  his  heroic  qualities  won  universal  admiration.  Where 
he  moved,  all  classes  were  forced  to  recognize  in  him  the  man 
of  power.  Strangers  journeying  to  see  him  from  a  distance, 
knew  him  the  moment  their  eyes  beheld  his  person.  Men 
have  crossed  ocean  and  continent  to  meet  him,  and  have 
selected  him  instantly  from  among  a  multitude.  * 

*  It  was  the  Author's  privilege  to  thus  meet  the  Prophet  for  the  first  time.  The  occa- 
sion was  the  arrival  of  a  large  company  of  Latter-day  Saints  at  the  upper  landing  at 
Nauvoo.  The  General  Conference  of  the  Church  was  in  session,  and  large  numbers 
crowded  to  the  landing  place  to  welcome  the  emigrants.  Nearly  every  prominent 
man  in  the  community  was  there.  Familiar  with  the  names  of  all  and  the  persons 
of  many  of  the  prominent  Elders,  the  Author  sought,  with  a  boy's  curiosity  and  eag- 
erness, to  discover  those  whom  he  knew,  and  especially  to  get  sight  of  the  Prophet 
and  his  brother  Hyrum,  neither  of  whom  he  had  ever  met.  When  his  eyes  fell 
upon  the  Prophet,  without  a  word  from  any  one  to  point  him  out  or  any  reason  to 
separate  him  from  others  who  stood  around,  he  knew  him  instantly.  He  would  have 
known  him  among  ten  thousand.  There  was  that  about  him,  which  to  the  Author's 
eyes,  distinguished  him  from  all  the  men  he  had  ever  seen. 


XXV11 

It  was  a  part  of  Joseph  Smith's  great  mission  "to  com- 
bat the  errors  of  ages;  to  meet  the  violence  of  mobs;  to  cope 
with  illegal  proceedings  from  executive  authority ;  to  cut  the 
Gordian  knot  of  powers;  to  solve  mathematical  problems  of 
universities  with  truth — diamond  truth."  He  performed  a 
work,  "not  pagan  ire,  nor  tooth  of  time,  nor  sword,  nor  fire, 
shall  bring  to  naught." 

The  Prophet's  life  was  exalted  and  unselfish.  His  death 
was  a  sealing  martyrdom,  following  after  that  which  was  com- 
pleted upon  Calvary  for  the  redemption  of  a  world. 


(9  r 


JOSEPH  SMITH'S 

LIFE    AND   WORK. 


JOSEPH  THE  PROPHET. 


CHAPTER    I. 

JOSEPH'S    HUMBLE    EXTRACTION THE    GODLINESS    AND    FAIR     FAME 

OF    HIS    ANCESTRY A    PREMONITION    OF    HIS    WORK. 

JOSEPH  SMITH  was  of  humble  birth.  His  parents  and  their 
progenitors  were  toilers;  but  their  characters  were  godly  and 
their  names  unstained. 

Near  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  Robert 
Smith,  a  sturdy  yeoman  of  England,  emigrated  to  the  New 
World,  the  land  of  promise.  With  his  wife,  Mary,  he  settled 
in  Essex,  Massachusetts.  The  numerous  descendants  of  these 
worthy  people  intermarried  with  many  of  the  staunchest  and 
most  industrious  families  of  New  England.  Samuel,  the  son 
of  Robert  and  Mary,  born  January  26th,  1666,  wedded  Rebecca 
Curtis,  Jaiiuary  25th,  1707.  Their  son,  the  second  Samuel, 
was  born  January  26th,  1714;  he  married  Priscilla  Gould, 
and  was  the  father  of  Asael,  born  March  1st,  1744.  Asael 
Smith  took  to  wife  Mary  Duty,  and  their  son  Joseph  was  born 
July  12th,  1771.  On  the  24th  of  January,  1796,  Joseph 
married  Lucy  Ma'ck,  at  Tunbridge,  in  the  State  of  Vermont. 
She  was  born  July  8th,  1776,  and  was  the  daughter  of 
Solomon  and  Lydia  Mack  and  was  the  granddaughter  of 
Ebenezer  Mack. 

The  men  of  these  two  families,  Smith  and  Mack,  through 
several  generations  had  been  tillers  of  the  soil.  They  were 
devout  and  generous,  measurably  prosperous  in  a  worldly 
sense,  and  several  of  them  were  brave  and  steadfast  soldiers 


32  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

through  the  early  Colonial  campaigns  and  the  Revolutionary 
struggle. 

After  the  marriage  of  Joseph  Smith  with  Lucy  Mack, 
they  settled,  respected  and  happy,  upon  their  own  farm  at 
Tunbridge.  Here  they  were  successful,  financially,  for  a  few 
years,  until  the  dishonesty  of  a  trusted  friend  and  agent 
robbed  them  of  their  surplus  means  and  left  them  plunged  in 
debt.  They  freely  sacrificed  all  of  money  value  which  they 
possessed,  even  homestead  and  Lucy's  treasured  marriage 
portion,  and  paid  every  just  claim  which  was  held  against  them. 
Left  thus  in  absolute  poverty,  they  sought  to  retrieve  their  loss  of 
home;  and  Tunbridge,  where  they  were  known  and  respected, 
offered  for  a  time  a  prospect  of  success.  Soon  afterwards,  how- 
ever, they  removed  to  Sharon,  where  Joseph  rented  a  farm  from 
his  father-in-law.  This  field  he  diligently  tilled  through  the 
summer,  and  during  the  winter  taught  the  village  school. 
Comfort  was  restored  to  them ;  but  they  were  destined  to  be 
still  tried  and  sanctified  by  the  tribulations  of  life.  Honest 
and  industrious,  pious  and  benevolent,  yet  Joseph  and  Lucy 
saw  themselves  and  their  children  pursued  by  poverty,  illness 
and  the  cold  neglect  of  their  fellow-mortals.  They  repined 
not  at  their  chastenings,  but  they  marveled. 

God  was  teaching  the  parents  the  great  lesson  of  personal 
humility;  and  they  and  their  children  were  learning  how 
fleeting  is  earthly  wealth  and  how  fallible  is  mere  human 
friendship.  For  the  choice  seed  which  is  to  bring  forth  rich 
and  perfect  fruit,  the  Lord  Almighty  prepares  the  soil  of  His 
garden. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  the  Prophet  was  Asael  Smith, 
a  man  of  the  strongest  religious  convictions,  and  yet  a  man 
whose  broad  humanitarian  views  were  repugnant  to  many  of 
the  sectarians  of  the  day.  Upon  one  occasion,  before  the 
Prophet's  birth,  Asael  Smith  had  a  premonition  that  one  of 
his  descendants  should  be  a  great  teacher  and  leader  of  men. 
To  quote  his  words,  as  they  are  remembered  and  recorded  by 
one  who  knew  him  and  heard  him  speak:  "It  has  been  borne 
in  upon  my  soul  that  one  of  my  descendants  will  promulgate 
a  work  to  revolutionize  the  world  of  religious  faith." 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  33 

It  is  not  known  if  the  young  Joseph  ever  learned  of  this 
prophetic  declaration,  until  after  his  own  career  had  been  made 
manifest.  But  Asael  lived  to  see  the  dawn  of  the  fulfillment  of 
his  words.  Just  before  his  death,  the  Book  of  Mormon,  then 
recently  printed,  was  presented  to  him.  He  accepted  it,  and 
with  the  light  of  inspiration  which  sometimes  illumines  the 
mind  of  man  as  the  veil  of  eternity  opens  to  his  gaze,  Asael 
solemnly  warned  his  attendants  to  give  heed  to  the  Book,  for 
it  was  true  and  its  coming  forth  heralded  a  renewal  of  Gospel 
light, 


CHAPTER    II. 

BIRTH  OF  JOSEPH FAMILY    CIRCUMSTANCES TOIL  AND  POVERTY 

REMOVAL     TO     NEW    YORK INTENSE    RELIGIOUS    EXCITEMENT. 

THE  circumstances  and  surroundings  of  the  elder  Joseph 
were  of  the  humblest,  when  unto  his  house  was  born,  on  the 
23rd  of  December,  1805,  Joseph,  the  Prophet  of  the  Last 
Dispensation.  The  family  were  still  living  in  the  little  town 
of  Sharon,  in  Windsor  County,  Vermont;  and  were,  at  the  time, 
greatly  impoverished.  Very  early,  therefore,  was  the  future 
Prophet  compelled  to  learn  the  lessons  of  labor,  patience  and 
self-denial.  The  father  was  striving,  with  every  faculty,  to 
repair  his  shattered  fortunes,  that  he  might  educate  his  children 
and  provide  for  their  comfort  and  well  being;  but  successive 
disasters  consumed  his  little  savings.  After  a  time,  he  removed 
from  Sharon,  and  later,  in  1815,  left  the  State  of  Vermont, 
locating  at  Palmyra,  Ontario  County,  New  York;  in  which 
place  and  the  adjoining  town  of  Manchester,  whither  the  fam- 
ily moved  four  years  afterward,  they  dwelt  for  several  years. 
Here  they  engaged  in  clearing  land  and  farming,  the  boys, 
including  the  young  Joseph,  giving  their  constant  aid  to  the 
family  work.  With  the  severest  toil  they  could  only  compass 


34  JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET. 

a  frugal  mode  of  life.  But  they  wasted  no  time  in  useless 
repining.  They  were  able  to  pay  their  obligations,  to  maintain 
their  honest  name,  to  live  in  happiness,  and  to  devote  some 
hours  of  each  week  to  the  rudimentary  education  of  the 
younger  children. 

The  offspring  of  Joseph  and  Lucy  Smith,  with  the  dates 
and  places  of  their  birth,  are  named  as  follow :  * 

Alvin,  born  February  llth,  1799,  at  Tunbridge,  Vermont, 

Hyrum,  born  February  9th,  1800,  at  Tunbridge,  Vermont. 

Sophronia,  born  May  18th,  1803,  at  Tunbridge,  Vermont. 

Joseph,  barn  December  23rd,  1805,  at  Sharon,  Vermont. 

Samuel,  born  March  13th,  1808,  at  Tunbridge,  Vermont. 

Ephraim,  born  March  13th,  1810,  at  Royalton,  Vermont. 

William,  born  March  13th,  1811,  at  Royalton,  Vermont. 

Catherine,  born  July  8th,  1812,  at  Lebanon,  New  Hamp- 
shire. 

Don  Carlos,  born  March  25th,  1816,  probably  at  Palmyra, 
New  York. 

Lucy,  born  July  18th,  1821,  probably  at  Palmyra,  New 
York. 

The  first  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century  was  a  time 
of  intense  religious  excitement,  and  New  York  and  surround- 
ing states  were  the  scenes  of  many  revivals  and  much  strife. 
Not  only  among  preachers  and  exhorters  was  the  enthusiasm 
manifested,  but  the  people  themselves  became  much  exer- 
cised over  their  sinful  condition,  and  ran  here  and  there  in 
a  wild  search  for  the  salvation  for  which  their  souls  seemed  to 
yearn.  The  movement  originated  with  the  Methodists;  but 
it  soon  spread  to  other  sects  in  the  neighborhood,  until  the 
whole  region  was  infected  by  it,  and  the  greatest  excitement 
was  created,  in  which  all  the  good  effects  of  a  revival  were 
swallowed  up  in  bitter  contests  of  opinions  and  the  strife  of 
words  between  the  adherents  of  the  various  creeds. 

The  Smith  family  inclined  toward  the  Presbyterian  faith, 
and  the  mother,  two  sons  and  a  daughter  united  themselves 
with  that  church.  Joseph  was  at  the  time  in  his  fifteenth  year 

*  See  Note  1,  Appendix. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  35 

—just  Mt  ;in  ;ip-  when,  with  his  limited  experience,  he  might 
IK-  divined  most  susceptible  to  the  example  of  others.  He 
listened  and  considered,  yet  could  not  profess  the  faith  of  his 
family.  The  clergymen  of  other  sects  assailed  him;  but 
although  he  became  somewhat  partial  to  the  Methodist  creed, 
their  soft  words  and  direful  threats  were  alike  unavailing. 
The  tempest  could  not  reach  the  depths  of  the  boy's  nature. 
rnknown  to  himself  he  was  awaiting  the  hour  when  the 
divine  message  should  stir  the  waters  of  his  soul. 


CHAPTER    III. 

LIGHT     FROM     THE    SCRIPTURES — THE    PRAYER    AND    ITS    ANSWER 

"THIS    IS    MY    BELOVED    SON:    HEAR    HIM" PERSECUTION    AND 

SCOFFING      OF      THE      MULTITUDE- — JOSEPH     DOUBTS      HIMSELF 
AND    SUPPLICATES    FOR    RENEWED     HELP. 

JOSEPH  was  earnest  beyond  his  years ;  but  he  was  not  of  a 
nature  to  become  a  prey  to  morbid  feelings.  He  was  neither 
terrified  by  the  aAvful  threats  of  the  revivalists  into  a  ready 
acceptance  of  their  dogmas,  nor  driven  by  their  divisions  and 
strife  into  unbelief  in  revealed  religion.  The  all-absorbing 
question  with  him  was:  Which  of  these  churches  is  the 
church  of  Christ?  Under  the  influence  of  his  great  desire  to 
know  the  truth  and  the  correct  path  which  led  to  salvation,  he 
made  a  thoughtful  analysis  of  the  proffered  creeds.  Can  it 
be  wondered  at  that  he  was  bewildered  in  the  labyrinth  of 
paths,  each  of  which  claimed  to  be  the  heavenly  way?  When 
at  divers  times  he  thought  of  uniting  himself  with  some  one 
of  the  churches,  his  further  investigation  each  time  revealed 
some  false  mysteries.  Dissatisfied  with  their  claims  and  pre- 
tensions, and  conscious  of  his  own  want  of  knowledge  and 
how  easily  he  might  err  in  a  matter  of  such  vital  and  eternal 
importance,  he  was  led  to  seek  for  guidance  from  a  righteous 
>urce.  He  had  recourse  to  the  word  of  God. 


36  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Searching  the  scriptures  for  comfort  and  light,  one  happy 
and  most  fortunate  moment  he  read  these  sacred  words : 

"If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that 
giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall 
be  given  him." 

Like  a  flash  of  sunlight  through  lowering  clouds,  the 
import  of  a  mighty  truth  burst  upon  Joseph's  mind.  He  had 
been  vainly  asking  help  from  men  who  had  answered  him  out  of 
their  own  darkness.  He  determined  now  to  seek  assistance 
from  God.  A  modest  fear  might  suggest:  Who  was  he  that 
he  should  dare  to  approach  the  great  Creator's  throne?  But 
there  was  the  plain  promise.  He  could  not  doubt  it,  without 
doubting  his  Maker.  He  felt  that  he  lacked  wisdom ;  and  to 
such  as  he,  asking  of  God,  there  was  the  divine  pledge  to  hear 
and  give  without  upbraiding. 

It  was  one  morning  in  early  springtime  of  the  year  1820, 
that  Joseph  felt  the  earnest  promptings  and  adopted  the  holy 
resolve.  He  walked  into  the  depths  of  a  wood,  which  stood 
near  his  home,  and  sought  a  little  glade.  There,  in  trembling 
humility,  but  with  a  faith  which  thrilled  his  soul — alone, 
unseen  of  man,  he  fell  upon  his  knees  and  lifted  his  voice  in 
prayer  to  God.  "While  he  was  calling  upon  the  Almighty,  a 
subtle  and  malignant  power  seized  him  and  stilled  his  utter- 
ance. Deep  darkness  enveloped  him ;  he  felt  that  he  was  in 
the  grasp  of  Satan,  and  that  the  destroyer  was  exerting  all  the 
power  of  hell  to  drag  him  to  sudden  destruction.  In  his 
agony  he  called  anew  upon  the  Lord  for  deliverance ;  and  at 
the  moment  when  he  seemed  to  be  sinking  under  the  power 
of  the  evil  one,  the  deep  gloom  was  rolled  away  and  he  saw 
a  brilliant  light.  A  pillar  of  celestial  fire,  far  more  glorious 
than  the  brightness  of  the  noon-day  sun,  appeared  directly 
above  him.  The  defeated  power  fled  with  the  darkness;  and 
Joseph's  spirit  was  free  to  worship  and  marvel  at  his  deliver- 
ance. Gradually  the  light  descended  until  it  rested  upon  him  ; 
and  he  saw,  standing  above  him  in  the  air,  enveloped  in  the 
pure  radiance  of  the  fiery  pillar,  two  personages  of  incom- 
parable beauty,  alike  in  form  and  feature,  and  clad  alike  in 
snowy  raiment.  Sublime,  dazzling,  they  filled  his  soul  with 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  37 

awe.     At  length,  One,  calling  Joseph  by  name,  stretched  His 
shining  arm  towards  the  Other,  and  said  : 

"THIS    IS    MY    BELOVED    SON :     HEAR    HIM!" 

As  soon  as  Joseph  could  regain  possession  of  himself,  to 
which  he  was  encouraged  by  the  benign  and  comforting  look  of 
the  Son,  and  by  the  heavenly  bliss  which  pervaded  his  own  soul, 
he  found  words  to  ask,  which  of  all  the  multitude  of  churches 
upon  the  face  of  the  globe  had  the  gospel  of  Christ;  for  up 
to  this  time  it  had  never  entered  his  mind  to  doubt  that  the 
true  church  of  the  Lamb,  pure  and  undefiled,  had  an  exist- 
ence somewhere  among  men.  But  the  answer  came  that  no 
one  of  the  creeds  of  earth  was  pure,  and  that  Joseph  must 
unite  himself  with  none  of  them.  Said  the  glorious  Being: 
"  THEY  DRAW  NEAR  ME  WITH  THEIR  LIPS,  BUT  THEIR  HEARTS 
ARE  FAR  FROM  ME;  THEY  TEACH  FOR  DOCTRINE  THE  COMMAND- 
MENTS OF  MEN,  HAVING  A  FORM  OF  GODLINESS,  BUT  THEY  DENY 


Even  in  the  transport  of  his  vision,  Joseph  felt  amazed  at 
the  instruction.  But  the  Heavenly  Personages  continued  to 
commune  with  him,  and  repeated  Their  command  that  he 
should  not  ally  himself  with  any  of  the  man-made  sects.  Then 
They  and  Their  enclosing  pillar  of  light  passed  from  his  gaze, 
and  he  was  left  to  look  into  the  immensity  of  space. 

The  boy's  faith  in  the  promises  of  God  had  now  deepened 
into  knowledge.  He  had  been  assailed  by  the  power  of  evil, 
until  it  seemed  he  must  succumb — that  the  limit  of  human 
endurance  was  passed.  And  in  that  instant  of  deepest 
despair,  he  had  been  suddenly  transported  into  the  blaze  of 
celestial  light.  He  had  seen  with  his  own  eyes  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  with  his  own  ears  he  had  heard  Their  eternal 
voice.  Over  this  untaught  youth  at  least,  the  Heavens  were  no 
longer  as  brass.  He  had  emerged  from  the  maze  of  doubt 
and  uncertainty  in  which  he  had  so  long  groped,  and  had 
received  positive  assurances  on  the  matter  nearest  his  heart 
from  Him,  whom  to  know  was  anciently  declared  to  be  life 
eternal. 

Emboldened,  satisfied,  and  happy  beyond  expression, 
Joseph's  first  thought  was  of  his  loved  ones.  He  must  impart 


38  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

the  glorious  truth  to  them.  His  parents  and  his  brethren 
listened,  and  were  lost  in  reverent  awe  at  his  straightforward 
recital.  He  next  sought  his  ojd  friends  the  ministers,  those 
who  had  affected  such  an  interest  in  his  welfare  and  who 
would  have  so  willingly  acted  as  his  guides  toward  heaven. 
His  first  experience  with  these  gentlemen  was  somewhat  dis- 
couraging. A  Methodist  preacher  who  had  formerly  culti- 
vated the  utmost  friendship,  and  who  probably  had  acquired 
considerable  influence  with  him,  was  soon  informed  by  Jos- 
eph of  the  Heavenly  manifestation.  The  pious  man  treated 
the  communication  with  contempt,  and  curtly  replied  that 
there  were  no  such  things  as  visions  or  revelations  in  these 
days,  they  having  ceased  with  the  Apostles,  and  that  the  whole 
thing  was  of  the  Devil.  Other  ministers,  and  in  fact  the 
religious  portion  of  the  entire  neighborhood,  as  the  event 
became  more  widely  known,  united  in  the  determination  to 
overwhelm  with  ridicule  and  abuse  that  which  they  found 
themselves  unable  to  silence  by  argument. 

Joseph  had  been  a  great  favorite  among  his  neighbors, 
his  gentle  ways  had  made  him  belovetl  by  all;  he  now  was 
hated  and  reviled.  He  had  been  especially  sought  after 
by  the  clergy  because  of  his  diligence,  earnestness  and 
humility  in  striving  to  secure  the  grace  of  God ;  he  now  was 
stigmatized  as  a  dissolute  dreamer,  a  worthless  knave  and  an 
arrant  hypocrite.  A  boy  of  fourteen  is  seldom  the  object  of 
universal  conversation  and  comment  in  his  locality;  yet  this 
youth's  enemies  did  not  rest  short  of  lifting  him  to  an  emi- 
nence where  he  could  the  better  be  seen  and  scorned  of 
all  men. 

His  family  were  made  to  share  the  vindictiveness  and 
contumely  exhibited  toward  him  which  at  last  reached 
such  a  pitch  that  an  attempt  was  actually  made  to  assassinate 
him.  The  family,  on  hearing  the  report  of  the  gun,  rushed 
from  the  house  only  to  find  the  marks  made  by  the  crouch- 
ing murderer  at  the  side  of  the  path,  and  the  leaden  missiles 
embedded  a  short  distance  from  the  spot. 

But  persecution,  slander  and  cruel  outrage  were  all 
unable  to  change  the  steadfast  testimony  of  Joseph.  Three 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  39 

years  passed  away,  during  which  time  he  was  true  to  his  trust 
through  toil  and  poverty,  through  scorn  and  tribulation.  The 
heavens  no  more  opened  to  his  view  in  this  trying  period; 
hut  the  youth,  who  was  fast  maturing — growing  in  strength 
and  understanding — was  able  to  show  the  staunchness  of  his 
nature  while  he  waited  in  patience  and  humility  for  the 
additional  light  which  he  had  been  led  to  expect. 

Yet  Joseph  was  human,  with  human  loves  and  human 
wants.  He  sorrowed  to  find  himself  and  his  kindred  cast  off 
by  all  their  old  associates,  and  he  at  times  was  forced  into  the 
society  of  persons  who  made  few  or  no  pretensions  to 
religion. 

Doubtless  the  avowed  infidels  and  unbelievers,  whom  he 
thus  occasionally  met,  were  no  more  lacking  in  genuine  purity 
than  were  the  self-righteous  enthusiasts  who  shunned  him 
except  when  they  could  devise  some  means  for  persecution 
and  torture.  But  he  had  not  yet  learned  to  justly  weigh  the 
virtues  and  failings  of  others;  and  often  he  reproached  him- 
self with  sinfulness  because  of  his  enforced  associations.  His 
quick  conscience  was  apt  to  exaggerate  every  youthful  foible, 
and  he  regarded  many  of  his  acts  of  thoughtlessness  as 
offenses  at  which  the  Heavens  must  frown. 

At  last  he  felt  the  imperative  need  of  light  and  help  from 
the  source  whence  flows  all  truth.  He  acknowledged  that  he 
had  fallen  into  many  foolish  errors  and  youthful  weaknesses; 
and  he  prayed  without  ceasing  for  the  pardon  of  every  wrong 
which  he  had  done.  He  plead  earnestly  that  he  might  gain 
greater  knowledge  for  his  guidance,  and  asked  for  a  manifesta- 
tion, from  which  he  might  know  concerning  his  state  and  stand- 
ing before  the  Lord.  Despite  his  own  self-accusation,  the 
answer  to  his  prayer  proves  that  his  probationary  period  had 
been  passed  satisfactorily  to  the  Heavens  and  that  he  was  still 
unstained  by  any  dark  offense. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE     ANGEL     MORONI     VISITS     JOSEPH    THRICE     IN     ONE     NIGHT A 

RECORD    TO    BE    BROUGHT    FORTH VISION    OF   CUMORAH. 

IT  was  on  the  night  of  the  21st  of  September,  in  the  year 
1823,  that  Joseph,  having  retired  to  his  humble  room,  invoked 
an  answer  to  his  petition  unto  the  Lord.  While  lying  upon 
his  bed  thus  seeking  with  all  the  power  of  his  spirit,  the 
usual  darkness  of  the  room  began  to  fade  away  and  a  spread- 
ing glory  appeared,  which  increased  until  the  room  was  lighter 
than  at  noonday.  In  the  midst  of  this  light,  which  was  most 
brilliant  around  his  person,  stood  a  radiant  being,  whose 
countenance  was  more  bright  than  vivid  lightning  and  was 
marvelously  lovely.  He  seemed  of  greater  stature  than  an 
ordinary  man  and  moved  and  stood  without  touching  the 
floor.  He  was  clothed  in  a  robe  of  intense  and  dazzling 
whiteness,  far  exceeding  anything  of  an  earthly  character; 
and  his  hands  and  wrists  and  feet  and  ankles,  as  well  as  his 
head  and  neck,  were  bare.  This  glorious  personage  stood  at 
Joseph's  bedside;  and  to  the  awed  youth,  in  a  voice  of  tender- 
ness and  comfort,  calling  Joseph  by  name,  the  angel  announced 
himself  to  be  a  messenger  from  the  presence  of  the  Almighty, 
and  that  his  name  was  Moroni.  The  holy  visitor  then  pro- 
ceeded to  unfold  some  of  the  grand  purposes  of  the  Lord. 
He  said  that  through  Joseph,  God's  power  and  kingdom  were 
to  be  restored  to  earth;  that  Joseph's  name  should  go 
out  to  all  nations,  kindred  and  tongues,  to  be  blessed  by  the 
pure  and  reviled  by  the  unholy — that  it  should  be  both  good 
and  evil  spoken  of  among  all  people;  that  in  the  fulfillment  of 
this  mission,  Joseph  would  be  led  to  a  hill,  where  was  buried 
an  ancient  record  engraved  upon  plates  of  gold,  which  record 
was  a  history  of  the  nations  that  had  inhabited  the  American 
continent,  and  furthermore  contained  the  fulness  of  the  Gospel 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  41 

as  given  during  the  ministration  of  Jesus  on  this  land.  He 
said  that  with  the  plates  were  hidden  two  sacred  stones,  set  in 
a  bow  of  silver  fastened  to  a  breastplate,  and  called  Urim  and 
Thummim,  by  the  possession  and  use  of  which,  men  in  ancient 
times  had  become  seers,  and  by  means  of  which,  aided  by  the 
inspiration  of  Heaven,  Joseph  also  would  become  a  seer  and 
be  able  to  read  and  translate  the  engraven  record. 

While  the  angel  was  thus  speaking,  Joseph  was  enabled 
in  vision  to  see  clearly  and  distinctly  the  holy  hill  and  its 
environs,  and  the  particular  spot  upon  the  hillside  where  the 
plates  were  held  in  silent  trust.  Moroni  resumed  his  teach- 
ings, saying  that  the  hour  had  not  yet  come  for  the  translation 
of  the  record,  but  Joseph  must  prepare  his  mind  by  prayer 
and  thought  for  the  exalted  duties  and  blessings  which  awaited 
him;  and  he  most  solemnly  warned  the  youth,  on  penalty  of 
sure  destruction,  against  showing  the  hidden  treasures  to 
anyone  except  by  commandment  of  God.  Before  taking  his 
leave,  the  angelic  messenger  rehearsed  much  of  ancient  proph- 
ecy relating  to  the  restoration  of  all  holiness,  the  second  com- 
ing of  our  Savior  and  His  dominion  upon  earth;  he  explained 
many  scriptural  utterances;  and  of  the  wicked  and  unbeliev- 
ing blasphemers,  he  spoke  in  such  a  sorrowful  yet  terrible 
voice  that  these  words  seemed  to  still  the  beating  of  the 
listener's  heart: 

"FOR  BEHOLD,  THE  DAY  COMETH  THAT  SHALL  BURN  AS  AN 
OVEN;  AND  ALL  THE  PROUD,  YEA  AND  ALL  THAT  DO  WICKEDLY 
SHALL  BURN  AS  STUBBLE!" 

Among  many  commands  and  promises,  Moroni  gave  this 
assurance  from  the  Lord  to  Joseph: 

"BEHOLD,  I  WILL   REVEAL   UNTO  YOU  THE  PRIESTHOOD  BY 

THE  HAND  OF  ELIJAH  THE  PROPHET,  BEFORE  THE  COMING  OF  THE 
GREAT  AND  DREADFUL  DAY  OF  THE  LORD." 

As  the  angel  ceased  to  speak,  all  the  light  of  the  room 
gathered  to  his  person.  Above  him  all  earthly  things  seemed 
moved  a\vay  and  a  shining  pillar  was  stretching  heavenward. 
With  a  look  of  hope  and  blessing  upon  the  youth,  Moroni 
ascended;  and  when  he  disappeared,  darkness  again  fell  about 
the  bedside. 


42  JOSEPH    THE    PKOPHET. 

Powerful  emotions  crowded  upon  Joseph's  mind  as  he 
recalled  the  things  which  had  been,  revealed  to  him.  And 
while  he  yet  pondered,  once  more  Moroni  came  and  stood  in 
a  blazing  glory  and  repeated  solemnly  the  heavenly  lessons  to 
the  listening  youth,  adding  that  great  judgments  were  com- 
ing upon  the  earth,  and  that  grievous  desolations  should  be 
poured  out  during  this  present  generation. 

Again  Moroni  ascended  as  before;  and  yet  for  the  third 
time  he  returned  to  repeat  the  message  of  which  he  was  the 
bearer.  The  solemn  instructions  were  once  more  given,  and 
with  them  a  special  warning  concerning  the  plates  of  gold 
and  the  sacred  stones.  He  told  Joseph  that  by  reason  of  the 
poverty  of  himself  and  family,  Satan  would  try  to  tempt  him 
to  use  them  for  the  purpose  of  getting  rich,  and  that  if  he  had 
any  other  motive  than  the  glory  of  God,  they  would  be  with- 
held. Many  hours  had  passed  in  this  communion,  and  when 
the  heavenly  ambassador  disappeared  for  the  third  time, 
Joseph  heard  the  birds  of  the  air  heralding  the  coming  of 
the  dawn. 


CHAPTER     V. 

A      MID-DAY      VISITATION JOSEPH       CONFIDES       IN      HIS       EARTHLY 

FATHER CUMORAH  AND  THE  SACRED  BOX — A  NEW  PROBA- 
TION IS  FIXED — SUCCESSIVE  VISITS  AND  MINISTRATIONS  OF 
THE  ANGEL JOSEPH'S  GROWTH  IN  GODLINESS. 

AT  his  usual  hour  of  arising,  Joseph  left  his  bed,  and  accord- 
ing to  his  custom  went  to  labor  in  the  field.  The  experiences 
of  the  night  had  swept  all  color  from  his  face.  His  mind  was 
filled  with  thoughts  unutterable,  and  his  attention  was  fixed 
beyond  his  earthly  toil.  His  father  observed  that  the  boy 
seemed  weak,  and  acted  strangely,  and  told  him  to  go  home. 
Joseph  started  from  the  field  towards  the  house,  but  on  his 
way,  in  attempting  to  cross  a  fence,  he  sank  helpless  to  the 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  43 

earth.  He  was  recalled  from  a  partial  swoon  by  a  voice  which 
gently  spoke  his.  name.  He  looked  up  and  saw  the  same 
glorious  messenger  standing  above  his  head,  clothed  about 
with  an  effulgence  which  eclipsed  the  splendor  of  the  noon- 
day sun. 

Once  more  the  angel  told  the  truths  of  the  night  before, 
with  their  commands  and  warnings,  and  he  instructed  Joseph 
to  return  to  his  father  and  impart  to  him  that  which  he  had 
learned  of  the  purposes  of  God.  He  obeyed  at  once,  and 
standing  there  in  the  harvest  field,  related  to  his  father  all 
that  had  passed.  The  inspiration  of  Heaven  rested  upon  the 
elder  Joseph  as  he  heard  the  lad's  words;  and  when  the 
account  was  finished,  he  said:  "My  son,  these  things  are  of 
God ;  take  heed  that  you  proceed  in  all  holiness  to  do  His  will." 

Having  the  consent  and  blessing  of  his  earthly  father, 
Joseph  departed  to  visit  the  hill.  And  now,  within  a  few 
hours  of  its  utterance,  was  one  of  the  angel's  predictions 
fulfilled.  During  the  journey  of  two  or  three  miles  beyond 
Manchester  toward  the  hill  which  had  been  pointed  out  to  him 
in  vision,  Joseph  was  made  to  feel  within  him  the  striving  of 
two  invisible  powers.  On  the  one  hand,  the  evil  one  presented 
alluring  prospects  of  worldly  gain  from  the  possession  of  the 
plates  of  gold — on  the  other,  the  better  influence  whispered 
that  the  record  was  sacred  and  must  only  be  used  for  the  glory 
of  God  and  the  fulfillment  of  His  purposes.  In  this  frame  of 
mind  he  approached  the  spot  which  he  had  seen  in  vision.  It 
was  on  the  west  side  and  near  the  top  of  a  hill  which  stood 
higher  than  any  other  in  that  neighborhood.*  He  easily 
recognized  the  exact  place  which  held  the  holy  treasure ;  and 
upon  reaching  it,  he  saw  the  rounded  top  of  a  stone  peeping 
from  the  ground,  while  all  the  edges  were  encased  in  the 
earth.  He  speedily  removed  the  surface  soil,  and  with  the  aid 
of  a  lever  raised  the  stone,  which  proved  to  be  the  covering  of 
a  rock  cavity  or  box.  Into  this  box  he  looked,  and  found  that 
it  did  indeed  contain  the  promised  plates  of  gold  and  the  Urim 
and  Thummim. 

*  See  Note  2,  Appendix. 


44  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

Joseph  could  see  that  the  box  had  been  fashioned  by 
cementing  stones  together  to  form  the  bottom  and  sides;  while 
the  rock  which  he  had  lifted  away,  beveled  thin  at  the  edges 
but  thick  and  rounded  at  the  center,  had  formed  a  close-fitting 
cover  to  the  sacred  receptacle.  Within  and  across  each  end 
of  the  bottom  of  the  box  lay  a  stone;  and  upon  these  the 
plates  and  the  other  treasures  rested. 

Carried  away  for  a  moment  by  admiration  and  his  eager 
desire  to  learn  further,  Joseph  stretched  forth  his  hands  to 
remove  the  records,  but  instantly  the  messenger  ~;vas  by  his 
side  and  stayed  his  touch.  Moroni  informed  him  that  four 
years  must  elapse  before  he  could  be  permitted  to  hold  and 
examine  the  contents  of  the  box:  in  the  meantime  he  must 
prove  faithful  as  he  had  proved  in  the  past,  and  on  each  suc- 
ceeding anniversary  of  that  day,  during  the  intervening  years, 
he  must  appear  at  the  spot  to  view  the  sacred  records,  renew 
his  covenants  and  be  instructed  from  the  Lord. 

Many  precious  truths  the  angel  now  imparted  to  him : 
telling  him  that  he,  Moroni,  while  yet  living,  had  hidden  up 
the  plates  in  the  hill,  four  centuries  after  Christ,  to  await  their 
coming  forth  in  the  destined  hour  of  God's  mercy  to  man; 
that  he,  Moroni,  was  the  son  of  Mormon,  a  prophet  of  the 
ancient  Nephites,  who  had  once  dwelt  on  this  land ;  that  to 
the  Xephites  this  sacred  hill  was  known  as  Cum  or  ah,  and  to 
the  Jaredites  (who  had  still  more  anciently  inhabited  this 
continent),  as  Ramah;  and  much  more  did  he  impart  to 
Joseph  concerning  the  mysteries  of  the  past,  and  the  future 
purposes  of  Almighty  God  in  the  redemption  of  fallen 
mankind. 

Then  the  kingdom  of  Heaven,  in  all  its  majesty,  and  the 
dominion  of  the  Prince  of  darkness,  in  all  its  terror,  were 
brought  to  Joseph's  vision,  and  Moroni  said: 

"ALL  THIS  IS  SHOWN,  THE  GOOD  AND  THE  EVIL,  THE  HOLY 
AND  THE  IMPURE,  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  AND  THE  POWER  OF  DARK- 
NESS, THAT  YOU  MAY  KNOW  HEREAFTER  THE  TWO  POWERS  AND 
NEVER  BE  INFLUENCED  OR  OVERCOME  BY  THAT  WICKED  ONE." 

Joseph  restored  the  cover  to  the  box  and  replaced  the 
earth;  and  when  the  Heavenly  messenger,  had  ended  the  counsel 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  45 

:uid  disappeared,  the  youth  again  sought  his  home,  marveling 
greatly  at  the  goodness  and  infinite  power  of  his  Creator. 

1 1  appily  for  the  comfort  of  the  chosen  Prophet,  at  ^his 
hour  he  met  help  within  the  family  circle.  He  imparted  to 
his  parents  and  the  older  children  all  that  he  had  been 
empowered  to  reveal;  and  their  understanding  and  faith 
were  quickened  to  the  acceptance  of  the  truth.  They  learned 
to  know  of  a  surety  that  God  had  spoken  and  that  Joseph 
must  obey. 

On  each  recurrence  of  the  twenty-second  day  of  Septem- 
ber during  the  next  three  years,  Joseph  visited  the  hill 
Cumorah.  Each  time  he  opened  the  box,  viewed  its  precious 
contents,  and  then  restored  the  hiding  place  to  its  former 
appearance.  Each  time,  the  messenger  visited  him  on  that 
consecrated  spot ;  chastening  him  to  patience,  exacting  anew 
a  covenant  of  self-sacrificing  fidelity  to  the  trust,  and  extend- 
ing the  counsels  and  instructions  pertaining  to  the  re-establish- 
ment, at  the  proper  hour,  of  the  Church  of  Christ  upon 
the  earth. 

This  continued  communion  wrought  God's  purpose  with 
Joseph.  It  gave  him  a  comprehension  of  the  destiny  of  man, 
both  earthly  and  eternal;  unfolding  to  his  view  the  pro- 
gression of  his  race,  from  heaven  through  the  probation  of 
this  world  and  back  to  the  judgment  seat  of  Omnipotence. 
It  filled  him  with  a  burning  zeal,  and  a  higher  wisdom  than 
that  taught  in  the  schools  began  to  expand  his  intellect;  he 
was  learning  the  sublime  principle  of  just  government;  he 
was  being  fitted  to  become  the  instrument  to  re-establish 
the  Church  which  should  endure  until  the  coming  of  Christ 
to  reign  therein  in  glory.  Out  of  His  all-compassing  power, 
the  Lord  gave  to  this  unlearned  youth,  from  year  to  year, 
knowledge  according  to  the  hour  of  his  need;  and  the 
bestowal  of  this  heavenly  wisdom  was  continued  to  Joseph 
through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  the  mortality  which  culminated 
in  that  awful  day  at  Carthage. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

JOSEPH'S  WILLING  TOIL  -  FOUR  YEARS  OF  WAITING  —  -HE  FINDS 
WORK  IN  PENNSYLVANIA  -  HIS  MARRIAGE  WITH  VMM  A  HALE 
-  THE  PROBATION  COMPLETED. 


Joseph  first  stood  upon  the  sacred  hill  Cumorah,  he 
was  in  his  eighteenth  year.  The  time  in  which  the  human 
character  most  strongly  assumes  its  shaping  was  to  be  with 
him  the  ensuing  four  years. 

Wondrous  as  had  been  the  vision  of  the  host  of  Heaven 
and  the  ranks  of  Lucifer;  exalting  as  were  the  communications 
from  the  Lord;  mighty  as  was  to  be  the  mission  of  translation; 
yet  Joseph  had  day  by  day  the  humble  labors  of  life  to  per- 
form. Without  a  murmur  he  accepted  his  lot  of  toil,  work- 
ing with  his  hands  to  aid  in  the  family  maintenance,  while 
his  mind  was  busy  with  eternal  truths.  There  is  always  a 
heroism  in  the  honest,  uncomplaining  home-toil  of  youth  :  a 
necessary  heroism,  indeed,  for  without  the  early-formed  habit 
of  industry  for  man,  the  Almighty's  purposes  concerning 
mankind  would  fail.  And  that  heroism  is  doubly  beautiful 
in  the  life  of  Joseph,  who  knew  already  his  destiny,  divinely 
ordained.  Left  much  to  itself  in  the  selfishness  of  earth,  a 
weaker  or  an  unsustained  soul  would  have  wasted  its  powers 
in  vain  dreamings  or  found  its  destruction  in  pride  and  self- 
glory. 

The  sweat  of  the  face,  therefore,  was  at  once  a  necessity 
and  a  salutation:  a  requisite  for  the  family  welfare  and  com- 
fort; a  protection  from  enervating  dreams.  ~No  husbandman 
of  all  that  neighborhood  was  more  industrious  than  he  ;  and, 
except  for  the  hatred  bred  against  him  by  false  teachers  and 
their  followers,  no  one  would  have  had  a  better  reputation. 

As  the  younger  sons  of  the  family  grew  into  vigor,  the 
small  farm  and  the  home  duties  less  exacted  the  diligence  of 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHKI.  47 

Joseph;  and  when  ;m  opportunity  came,  in  his  twentieth  year, 
for  remunerative  employment  at  a  distance,  be  willingly  accep- 
ted the  offer.  This  engagement  carried  him  to  Susquehaana 
County,  State  of  Pennsylvania,  where  the  employer,  Josiah 
Stoal,  though  dwelling  in  ISTew  York  State,  had  some  pro- 
perty upon  which  Joseph  worked,  while  he  hoarded  at  the 
neighboring  house  of  Mr.  Isaac  Hale.  Stoal  conceived  the 
idea  that  there  were  signs  of  a  silver  deposit  in  his  land,  and 
he  put  his  farming  men  to  the  work  of  mining.  It  was  soon 
evident  that  he  had  become  infatuated  with  the  hope  of  achiev- 
ing sudden  and  extraordinary  wealth  and  was  squandering  his 
means  in  a  pursuit  Avhich  gave  no  promise  of  an  adequate 
return.  Joseph,  who  had  become  a  favorite  with  Mr.  Stoal 
because  of  industry  and  good  judgment,  remonstrated  with 
him  and  finally  influenced  him  to  withdraw  from  his  sordid 
and  fruitless  project. 

Isaac  Hale  had  a  daughter  Emma,  a  good  girl  of  high 
mind  and  devout  feelings.  This  worthy  young  woman  and 
Joseph  formed  a  mutual  attachment,  and  her  father  was 
requested  to  give  his  permission  to  their  marriage.  Mr.  Hale 
opposed  their  desire  for  a  time,  as  he  was  prosperous  while 
Joseph's  people  had  lost  their  property;  and  it  was  the  18th 
day  of  January,  1827,  the  last  year  of  waiting  for  the  plates, 
before  Joseph  and  Emma  could  accomplish  their  desired  union. 
On  that  day  they  w^ere  married  by  one  Squire  Tarbill,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  that  gentleman,  in  South  Bainb ridge,  Chenango 
County,  ~New  York.  Immediately  after  the  marriage,  Joseph  left 
the  employ  of  Mr.  Stoal  and  journeyed  with  his  wife  to  his  paren- 
tal home  at  Manchester,  where  during  the  succeeding  summer, 
he  worked  to  obtain  means  for  his  family  and  his  mission. 
The  time  was  near  at  hand  for  the  great  promise  to  be  fulfilled 
and  for  his  patience  and  faithfulness  to  be  rewarded. 

As  the  hour  approached  for  the  delivery  of  the  ancient 
record  into  his  hands,  Joseph  prayed  earnestly  for  humility 
and  strength.  He  had  not  failed  in  any  of  his  prescribed 
visits  to  Cumorah.  Even  when  at  work  in  Pennsylvania,  he 
had  obtained  temporary  release  that  he  might  journey  to  the 
hill  and  meet  his  Heavenly  teacher. 


48  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

His  wife,  his  parents  and  brethren  were  made  participants 
in  his  hopes,  and  they  added  their  faith  to  his,  and  gave  their 
hearty  support  to  his  labor  and  preparation. 

The  21st  day  of  September,  1827,  completed  the  fourth 
year  since  Moroni  first  appeared  at  Joseph's  bedside,  and  the 
occasion  was  deemed  a  fitting  hour  for  prayer  and  thanksgiv- 
ing. In  that  humble  home  God's  chosen  servant  and  his  kind- 
red oifered  their  adoration  to  the  beneficent  Father.  It  was 
also  a  time  for  the  review  of  the  trying  years  since  the  call 
first  came  to  Joseph.  The  family  had  remained  in  honest  low- 
liness, unmoved  by  the  assaults  and  ridicule  of  the  world. 
Alvin,  the  eldest  son  of  Joseph  and  Lucy,  had  died  on  the 
19th  of  November,  1824,  with  a  firm  belief  in  the  coming  of 
the  New  Dispensation  and  with  words  of  comfort  and  blessing 
for  his  brother  Joseph  upon  his  lips.  The  faithful  Hyrum, 
like  Joseph,  was  happily  wed.  And  the  younger  children 
were  nearly  all  at  years  of  understanding. 

Quiet  came  with  the  darkness,  and  peace  dwelt  upon  the 
house  and  by  the  pillows  of  this  devoted  family.  The  tran- 
quility  of  the  night  was  long  remembered,  for  it  was  almost 
the  last  time  they  had  on  earth  in  unfearing  and  undisturbed 
enjoyment  of  each  other's  society. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

FINAL     VISIT     TO    CUMORAH DKMYKKY     OF     THE     PLATES     BY    THE 

ANGEL     .Mo ROM SOLEMN    CAUTION    TO    JOSEPH ATTACKS    BY 

ASSASSINS    AND    ROBBERS — POVERTY  AND   PERSECUTION — HELP 
FROM    MARTIN    HARRIS REMOVAL    TO    PENNSYLVANIA. 

FOR  the  fifth  time  Joseph  stood  by  the  place  of  deposit  of 
the  stone  box  and  its  precious  contents,  which  for  fourteen 
centuries  had  remained  concealed  from  human  vision  and 
undisturbed  by  mortal  hand.  It  was  the  morning  of  the 
twenty-second  day  of  September,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-seven.  For  the  last  time 
he  removed  the  soil  and  lifted  the  stone  cover,  while  he 
prayed  that  he  might  be  as  faithful  to  his  trust  as  had  been 
the  inanimate  hillside.  The  angel  of  the  Lord  was  at  his 
side  and  bade  him  stretch  forth  his  hands  and  take  from  their 
long  hiding  place  the  Urim  and  Thummim  and  the  record. 

Joseph  touched  them  and  his  being  was  thrilled  with  a 
divine  joy.  He  lifted  them  to  the  surface  and  examined  their 
beauty. 

The  Urim  and  Thummim  was  as  the  angel  had  described 
it — two  precious  stones  set  in  an  arch  of  silver  which  was 
fastened  to  an  ancient  breastplate  of  pure  gold,  curiously 
wrought.  The  breastplate  was  concave  on  one  side  and  con- 
vex on  the  other,  and  seemed  to  have  been  made  for  a  man  of 
greater  stature  than  is  ordinary  in  modern  days.  Four  golden 
bands  were  fastened  to  it,  for  the  purpose  of  attaching  it  to 
the  person  of  its  wearer — two  of  the  bands  being  for  the 
shoulders,  the  others  for  the  waist  or  hips. 

The  plates,  also  of  gold,  were  of  uniform  size;  each  was 
slightly  less  in  thickness  than  a  common  sheet  of  tin  and  was 
about  eight  inches  in  width ;  and  all  were  bound  together  by 
three  rings,  running  through  one  edge  of  the  plates.  Thus 
secured,  they  formed  a  book  about  six  inches  in  thickness. 


50  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

A  part  of  the  volume,  about  one-third,  was  sealed;  the  other 
leaves  Joseph  turned  with  his  hand.  They  were  covered  on 
both  sides  with  strange  characters,  small  and  beautifully 
engraved. 

Moroni  instructed  Joseph  that  he  must  not  attempt  to 
open  that  part  of  the  book  which  was  sealed,  for  the  hour  had 
not  come  wherein  it  was  destined  to  be  made  known;  but  in 
God's  accepted  time  He  would  bring  that  portion  of  the 
record  to  the  knowledge  of  His  children.  Then  the  angel 
repeated  all  that  he  had  formerly  said  in  advice  and  blessing. 
Joseph  was  told  that  the  Lord  expected  him  to  shield  the 
record  from  profane  touch  and  sight,  even  with  his  life,  until 
his  work  of  translation  should  be  completed  and  the  plates 
restored  to  the  hands  of  .Moroni;  that  all  the  former  guard- 
ians had  relinquished  their  trust  and  he  alone  would  be  held 
accountable  for  their  safety ;  that  efforts  would  be  made  to  rob 
him  of  the  holy  writings,  but  if  he  proved  faithful  the  Heavens 
would  give  their  aid  to  his  support  and  he  would  come  off 
triumphant.  And  he  was  finally  and  solemnly  warned  that  if 
he  should  betray  his  mission  he  must  be  cut  off  and  destroyed. 

With  a  crowning  promise  to  Joseph  that  he  should  not 
be  left  to  grope  in  darkness,  and  that  upon  the  conclusion  of 
the  labor  of  translation,  the  angel  would  visit  him  and  again 
receive  the  plates,  Moroni  disappeared,  and  THE  PROPHET  or 
THE  LAST  DISPENSATION  stood  alone  upon  .Cumorah,  clasping 
to  his  bosom  the  priceless  trust. 

Joseph  folded  the  golden  record  of  past  generations 
beneath  his  mantle  and  sped  homeward.  The  words  of  Moroni 
had  been  prophetic;  three  different  times  in  the  brief  journey 
to  his  house,  the  chosen  minister  of  salvation  was  assailed  by 
unknown  men — emissaries  of  the  evil  one,  who  sought  to 
strike  him  to  the  earth  and  rob  him  of  his  precious  charge. 
Once  they  dealt  him  a  terrific  blow  with  a  bludgeon,  but  he  did 
not  fall.  He  was  a  man  of  rare  physical  endowments,  yet  on 
this  occasion  his  own  strength  and  activity,  without  the  help  of 
the  Lord,  would  not  have  delivered  him  or  been  sufficient  to 
cast  his  assailants  one  by  one  prone  in  the  dust  with  the  irre- 
sistible force  which  he  used  against  them. 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPIIKT.  51 

With  the  plates  unharmed,  but  himself  bruised,  and  pant- 
in  »•  from  the  contest,  Joseph  reached  his  home. 

After  this  important  hour  the  powers  of  darkness  arrayed 
all  their  subtle  and  murderous  influences  against  him.  Abom- 
inable falsehoods  were  cunningly  circulated  against  himself 
and  his  lather's  family,  the  purpose  being  to  excite  the  rage  of 
the  populace  against  them.  Constantly  the  Prophet's  life  was 
beset  by  assassins;  the  sacred  record  was  sought  by  robbers. 
Each  hour  brought  some  new  menace.  Men,  lurking  by  his 
pathway,  discharged  deadly  weapons  at  his  person;  and  mobs 
attacked  him  and  invaded  his  home.  Wherever  the  plates 
were  supposed  to  be  hidden,  there  were  the  despoilers  break- 
ing through  bolts  and  walls.  Open  force  failing,  subtle 
stratagems  were  devised  for  the  destruction  of  the  Prophet's 
life  and  the  abstraction  of  the  plates. 

These  numerous  efforts  all  failed  to  accomplish  the  ends 
at  which  they  were  aimed.  But  they  prevented  Joseph  from 
obtaining  the  safe  leisure  necessary  for  his  labor  of  translation. 
Anxious  to  pursue  his  heaven-appointed  work  without  the 
interruption  of  these  continual  attacks,  he  was  led  to  the 
idea  of  removing  from  Manchester.  Personal  fear  was  not 
an  element  of  his  nature,  and  no  selfis-h  motive  prompted  his 
resolve;  but  in  no  other  visible  manner  could  his  sacred 
instructions  be  fulfilled.  The  home  of  Emma's  parents  in 
Susquehanna  County,  Pennsylvania,  was  the  place  which  he 
selected,  and  thither  he  determined  to  journey. 

Poverty  seemed,  however,  to  present  an  insurmountable 
barrier;  but  it  was  suddenly  removed.  Martin  Harris,  a 
prosperous  and  respected  farmer  of  Wayne  County,  New 
York,  and  who  was  destined  in  the  providence  of  God  to 
afterwards  fill  an  important  part  in  connection  with  the  divine 
record,  was  inspired  to  come  to  Joseph  with  a  free  offer  of 
help.  By  the  aid  thus  extended,  the  Prophet  was  able  to  take 
his  departure  from  Manchester,  carrying  with  him  his  wife 
and  the  sacred  plates.  As  Joseph  and  Mary  were  warned  to 
flee  with  the  infant  Jesus  into  Egypt  to  escape  the  destruction 
which  Herod  had  planned,  so  the  Prophet  was  led  to.  seek 
another  place  of  residence  for  the  performance  of  his  labor. 


52  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

But  Satan  was  not  idle.  Twice  while  on  the  journey 
was  the  servant  of  God  stopped  by  officers,  who,  under  a  pre- 
tended warrant  of  law,  searched  his  wagon  for  the  plates. 
But  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  blinded  the  eyes  of  the  wicked 
and  they  found  not  what  they  sought. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  December,  1827,  when  Joseph 
reached  the  house  of  Isaac  Hale  in  Pennsylvania;  and  with- 
out delay  he  began  his  inspired  work  of  translation  by  the 
aid  of  the  seer  stones. 

It  may  seem  strange  and  unaccountable  that  such  extra- 
ordinary efforts  should  be  made  to  destroy  this  young  man 
and  to  get  possession  of  the  plates  with  which  he  had  been 
entrusted.  But  his  whole  life  from  this  time  forward  until  he 
sealed  his  testimony  with  his  blood  was  filled  with  incidents 
of  the  most  remarkable  character.  The  words  of  the  angel 
were  that  God  had  a  work  for  Joseph  to  do,  and  that  his 
name  should  be  had  for  good  and  evil  among  all  nations, 
kindreds  and  tongues ;  or  that  it  should  be  both  good  and 
evil  spoken  of  among  all  people ;  and  they  were  fulfilled  to 
the  letter.  No  man  of  this  generation  was  so  passionately 
loved;  no  man  was  so  cruelly  hated.  Satan  knew  that  if  the 
work  of  which  God  had  chosen  him  to  be  the  founder  on  the 
earth  should  prevail,  his  power  and  dominion  should  be  over- 
thrown. Against  this  Prophet,  therefore,  the  profoundest 
depths  of  hell  were  stirred  up.  While  he  lived  he  was  the 
target  at  which  the  most  deadly  shafts  of  Satan  were  directed. 
For  the  succeding  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  from  the  time 
of  which  we  write  his  steps  were  beset  by  peril.  Violence 
and  murder  lurked  in  his  pathway.  He  was  never  free  from 
menace.  Through  his  life  he  enjoyed  peace,  but  it  was  the 
peace  that  came  from  above  and  not  that  which  arises  from 
auspicious  surroundings  and  undisturbed  quiet.  He  was  a 
happy  man ;  but  his  happiness  was  never  due  to  worldly  favor, 
or  popularity.  God  had  endowed  him  with  a  buoyancy  ol 
spirit  and  a  strength  of  faith  that  the  most  deadly  opposition 
and  the  most  threatening  difficulties  could  not  repress ;  with 
a  courage  which,  in  the  midst  of  brutal  mobs  howling  for  his 
blood,  never  faltered  or  was  quenched.  His  was  a  stormy 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  53 

career;  but  he  was  amply  qualified  for  it.     As  he  himself  said 
on  one  occasion: 

And  as  for  perils  which  I  am  called  to  pass  through,  they  seem  but  a 
small  thing  to  me,  as  the  envy  and  wrath  of  man  have  been  my  common  lot 
all  the  days  of  my  life ;  and  for  what  cause  it  seems  mysterious,  unless  I 
was  ordained  from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  for  some  good  end,  or 
bad,  as  you  may  choose  to  call  it.  Judge  ye  for  yourselves.  God  knoweth 
all  these  things  whether  it  be  good  or  bad.  But  nevertheless,  deep  water  is 
what  I  am  wont  to  swim  in.  It  all  has  become  a  second  nature  to  me,  and 
I  feel  like  Paul,  to  glory  in  tribulation,  for  to  this  day  has  the  God  of  my 
fathers  delivered  me  out  of  them  all,  and  will  deliver  me  from  henceforth  ; 
for  behold,  and  lo,  I  shall  triumph  over  all  my  enemies,  for  the  Lord  God 
hath  spoken  it. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

JOSEPH  COPIES  AND  TRANSLATES  FROM  THE    PLATES MARTIN    HAR- 
RIS AGAIN  COMES  OPPORTUNELY — PROFESSOR  ANTHON  AND  THE 

CHARACTERS MARTIN'S    LABOR     AS     A     SCRIBE HIS     BROKEN 

TRUST THE     TRANSLATION    LOST     TO     JOSEPH THE     PROPHET 

PUNISHED  FOR  WILFULLNESS. 

JOSEPH'S  first  labor  with  the  plates  was  in  obedience  to  the 
general  command  given  to  him  through  Moroni.  The  particu- 
lar means  by  which  the  translation  was  to  be  effected  and 
given  to  the  world,  had  not  been  made  known ;  and  this  young, 
untaught,  impoverished  man  was  at  that  hour  unable,  within 
his  own  resources  of  education  and  purse,  to  arrange  for  the 
consummation  of  the  work.  He  devoted  every  available 
moment,  however,  to  his  sacred  task,  constantly  praying  to  the 
Almighty  for  aid ;  and  yet  the  progress  was  slow. 

In  every  step  which  Joseph  took  as  the  chosen  messenger 
of  God,  human  struggle  and  sacrifice,  to  overcome  perplexing 
difficulties  and  delays,  seemed  necessary.  In  this  way  more 
than  any  other  was  he  taught  a  patient  trust,  and  was  sanctified 


54  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

for  the  exalted  destiny  which  awaited  him.  Though  he  had 
been  instructed  by  Moroni  that  Jehovah  designed  the  record 
to  be  translated  for  the  edification  and  blessing  of  the  race, 
he  did  not  experience  the  direct  interposition  of  God  in  the 
accomplishment  of  the  work — except  only  as  the  power  of  the 
Heavens  was  manifested  through  the  Urim  and  Thummim. 
And  much  he  marveled  that  the  Lord  should  permit  His  holy 
purposes  to  depend  upon  weak  and  slow-moving  man.  But 
the  Prophet  lived  to  learn  and  to  demonstrate  that  God  com- 
mits His  decrees  to  His  earthly  children  for  fulfillment;  and 
though  He  may  often  work  miracles  in  their  behalf,  yet  are 
they  required  to  give  their  best  endeavor — even  though  weak 
and  human — to  the  appointed  deed;  and  out  of  their  trials, 
their  stumblings,  their  failures  and  their  ultimate  successes, 
will  He  bring  the  triumph  of  their  devotion  and  His  word. 

Joseph  had  leisure  and  safety,  after  establishing  himself 
at  the  house  of  Isaac  Hale,  in  Harmony,  Susquehanna 
County,  State  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  month  of  December, 
1827,  to  examine  the  sacred  history  and  treasure  which  had 
been  committed  to  his  ward.  And  he  very  soon  began  a  some- 
what desultory  labor  of  copying  the  different  styles  of  strange 
characters  found  upon  the  plates  and  translating  some  of  them  by 
the  aid  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim.  He  thus  prepared  a  con- 
siderable number  of  characters  on  sheets ;  some  of  them  being 
accompanied  by  translations  and  others  being  alone.  It  does 
not  appear  that  he  had  any  more  definite  object  in  this  super- 
ficial work  than  to  seek,  half-blindly,  to  fulfill  the  command 
delivered  by  the  lips  of  Moroni,  the  angel  of  the  record.  But 
the  purpose,  wisely  ordained,  was  later  apparent. 

Joseph  continued  his  efforts  until  some  time  in  the  month 
of  February,  1828.  Then  the  man,  Martin  Harris,  who  had 
once  before  befriended  him,  appeared  at  the  Hale  homestead. 

Martin  Harris  had  been  deeply  affected  by  his  former 
intercourse  with  Joseph;  and  he  had  come  in  the  depth  of 
.winter  from  his  home  near  Lake  Ontario,  to  seek  out  the  young 
Prophet  and  to  learn  more  of  his  wondrous  mission.  Harris 
tarried  a  brief  time  with  Joseph  at  the  house  of  Isaac  Hale; 
and  then  in  this  same  month  of  February,  1828,  with  the 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  55 

Prophet's  permission,  he  carried  away  some  of  the  various 
copies  and  t  ranslations  which  Joseph,  laboriously  and  patiently, 
had  made.  It  was  the  purpose  of  Martin  Harris  to  submit 
the  characters  to  scientists  and  linguists ;  and  possibly  by  their 
verdict  to  decide  to  establish  or  withdraw  his  half-yielded 
faith.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan,  he  went  to  New  York  City, 
and  there  visited  Charles  Anthon,  a  professor  of  languages  at 
Columbia  College. 

Anthon  examined  first  a  sheet  of  characters  accompanied 
by  Joseph's  translation ;  and  declared  that  the  characters  were 
Ancient  Egyptian  and  that  the  interpretation  was  correct — 
more  complete  and  perfect  than  any  other  translation  of  that 
language  which  he  had  ever  seen.  He  then  looked  at  other 
sheets,  not  accompanied  by  translations,  and  pronounced  the 
characters  to  be  genuine  specimens  of  various  ancient  written 
languages.  He  w^rote  a  certificate  which  embodied  the  fore- 
going assertions  and  presented  it  to  Martin  Harris. 

Afterward,  Anthon  made  inquiry  of  Martin  regarding  the 
origin  of  the  characters;  and  then  for  the  first  time  the  learned 
professor  discovered  what  endorsement  he  had  bestowed  upon 
an  unlearned  youth  who  had  received  from  the  hands  of  an 
angel  a  golden  record  filled  with  these  ancient  writings. 
Anthon  hastily  demanded  the  certificate  which  he  had  given 
to  Harris ;  implying  in  his  request  that  he  wished  to  give  the 
paper  a  final  examination  or  to  add  something  to  it.  And  as 
soon  as  the  professor  received  it  again-  into  his  hands  he 
destroyed  it,  saying:  "There  is  no  such  thing  in  these  days  as 
ministering  of  angels." 

He  asked  that  "the  book  which  the  young  man  had  dug 
up"  might  be  brought  to  him;  and  stated  that  out  of  his 
worldly  learning  he  would  translate  the  whole  work.  Harris 
replied  that  a  considerable  portion  of  the  record  was  sealed 
and  might  not  be  opened  to  human  gaze.  Then  Anthon  con- 
temptuously responded : 

" I can  not  read  a  sealed  book!" 

And  thus  was  fulfilled  the  word  of  Isaiah  who  wrote 
twenty-six  centuries  ago: 

"  AND  THE  VISION  OF  ALL  IS  BECOME  UNTO  YOU  AS  THE  WORDS 


56  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

OF  A  BOOK  THAT  IS  SEALED,  WHICH  MEN  DELIVER  TO  ONE  THAT  IS 
LEARNED,  SAYING,  READ  THIS,  I  PRAY  THEE:  AND  HE  SAITH,  I  CAN 
NOT;  FOR  IT  IS  SEALED."  »* 

When  the  conference  with  Professor  Anthon  was  ended, 
Martin  Harris  carried  his  manuscripts  to  one  Doctor  Mitchell, 
who  claimed  a  knowledge  of  some  of  the  characters;  and 
learning  what  Anthon  had  said  concerning  their  genuineness, 
the  learned  doctor  endorsed  the  statements  of  the  other  scholar. 

Harris  returned  to  the  Prophet's  home,  fully  convinced. 
This  man — generous,  skeptical  naturally,  but  honest — was 
seized  upon  by  the  spirit  of  the  work.  When  he  met  Joseph 
he  related  the  convincing  occurrences  of  his  visits  to  the 
learne.d  men,  and  he  proffered  his  services  as  a  writer  for  the 
Prophet,  in  the  great  work  of  translation. 

The  proposal  was  gladly  accepted;  and  Martin  proceeded 
to  Palmyra  to  arrange  for  a  long  absence  from  home.  It  was 
the  12th  day  of  April,  1828,  when  he  returned  to  Harmony, 
prepared  to  serve  as  a  scribe. 

From  this  time  forward  until  the  14th  day  of  June,  1828, 
Joseph  dictated  to  Martin  Harris  from  the  plates  of  gold;  as 
the  characters  thereon  assumed  through  the  Urim  and  Thum- 
mim  the  forms  of  equivalent  modern  words  which  were  famil- 
iar to  the  understanding  of  the  youthful  Seer. 

Martin  Harris  was  a  critical  man  without  superstition. 
Listening  to  the  words  dictated  day  by  day,  and  becoming 
familiar  with  Joseph,  he  sought  to  make  another  test. 

One  of  Joseph's  aids  in  searching  out  the  truths  of  the 
record  was  a  peculiar  pebble  or  rock  which  he  called  also  a 
seer  stone,  and  which  was  sometimes  used  by  him  in  lieu  ot 
the  Urim  and  Thummim.  This  stone  had  been  discovered  to 
himself  and  his  brother  Hyrum  at  the  bottom  of  a  well ;  and 
under  divine  guidance  they  had  brought  it  forth  for  use  in  the 
work  of  translation.  Martin  determined  to  deprive  the 
Prophet  of  this  stone.  He  obtained  a  rock  resembling  a  seer- 
stone  in  shape  and  color,  and  slily  substituted  it  for  the 
Prophet's  real  medium  of  translation.  When  next  they  were 
to  begin  their  labor,  Joseph  was  at  first  silent;  and  then  he 
exclaimed:  "Martin,  what  is  the  matter?  All  is  dark." 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  57 

Harris  with  shame  confessed  what  he  had  attempted. 
And  when  the  Prophet  demanded  a  reason  for  such  conduct, 
Martin  replied :  "  I  did  it  to  either  prove  the  utterance  or  stop 
the  mouths  of  fools  who  have  said  to  me  that  you  had  learned 
these  sentences  which  you  dictate  and  that  you  were  merely 
repeating  them  from  memory." 

The  work  progressed  through  the  two  months  from  April 
until  June;  not  steadily,  for  Martin  was  much  called  away. 
But  at  the  expiration  of  that  time,  on  the  14th  day  of  June, 
1828,  Martin  had  written  one  hundred  and  sixteen  pages 
foolscap  of  the  translation. 

And  at  this  hour  came  a  test,  bitter  in  its  experiences  and 
consequences  to  the  Prophet  of  God. 

A  woman  wrought  a  betrayal  of  the  confidence  reposed 
in  Martin  Harris  and  a  temporary  destruction  of  Joseph's 
power. 

The  wife  of  the  scribe  was  desirous  to  see  the  writings 
dictated  to  her  husband  by  Joseph:  she  importuned  Martin 
until  he,  too,  became  anxious  to  have  in  his  own  possession  the 
manuscript.  Long  before  the  14th  day  of  June,  he  began  to 
solicit  from  the  Prophet  the  privilege  of  taking  the  papers 
away  that  he  might  show  them  to  curious  and  skeptical  friends ; 
and  thereby  be  able  to  give  convincing  proof  to  doubting  per- 
sons, of  Joseph's  divine  mission. 

A  simple  denial  was  not  sufficient,  and  he  insisted  that 
Jehovah  should  be  asked  to  thus  favor  him.  Once,  twice,  in 
answer  to  his  demands,  the  Prophet  inquired;  and  each  time 
the  reply  was  that  Martin  Harris  ought  not  to  be  entrusted 
with  the  sacred  manuscript.  Even  a  third '  time  Martin 
required  that  Joseph  should  solicit  permission  in  his. 
behalf;  and  on  this  occasion,  which  was  near  the  14th  day  ot 
June,  1828,  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  that  Joseph  at  his  own 
peril  might  allow  Harris  to  take  possession  of  the  manuscript 
and  exhibit  it  to  a  few  other  persons  who  were  designated  by 
the  Prophet  in  his  supplication.  But  because  of  Joseph's 
wearying  applications  to  God,  the  Urim  and  Thummim  and 
seer  stone  were  taken  from  him.  Accordingly  the  precious 
manuscript  was  entrusted  to  the  keeping  of  Martin  Harris; 


58  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

and  he  bound  himself  by  a  solemn  oath  to  show  it  only  to 
his  wife,  his  brother  Preserved  Harris,  his  father  and  mother, 
and  Mrs.  Cobb,  his  wife's  sister.  After  entering  into  this 
sacred  covenant,  Martin  Harris  departed  from  Harmony,  carry- 
ing with  him  the  inspired  writings. 

Then  came  about  the  punishment  of  Martin  for  his  impor- 
tunacy  and  of  Joseph  for  his  blindness.  Wicked  people, 
through  the  vanity  and  treachery  of  Martin's  wife  and  his  own 
weakness, 'gained  sight  of  the  precious  manuscript  and  they 
contrived  to  steal  it  away  from  Harris,  so  that  his  eyes  and 
the  eyes  of  the  Prophet  never  again  beheld  it. 

For  his  disobedient  pertinacity  in  voicing  to  the  Lord  the 
request  of  Martin  Harris  Joseph  had  been  deprived  of  the 
Urim  and  Thummim  and  seer  stone ;  but  this  was  not  his  only 
punishment,  The  pages  of  manuscript  which  contained  the 
translation  he  had  been  inspired  to  make,  and  which  thereby 
became  the  words  of  God,  had  been  loaned  to  Martin  Harris 
and  been  stolen;  and  now  the  plates  themselves  were  taken 
from  him  by  the  angel  of  the  record. 

The  sorrow  and  humiliation  which  Joseph  felt  were 
beyond  description.  The  Lord's  rebukes  for  his  conduct 
pierced  him  to  the  centre.  He  humbled  himself  in  prayer  and 
repentance;  and  so  true  was  his  humility  that  the  Lord 
accepted  it  as  expiation  and  the  treasures  were  restored  to  his 
keeping. 

Martin  Harris  also  was  shamed  and  grieved;  and  he 
repented  in  anguish  the  violation  of  his  trust.  But,  though  a 
measure  of  confidence  was  restored  to  him,  he  was  never  again 
permitted  to  act  as  a  scribe  for  the  Prophet  in  the  work  of 
translation. 

While  Joseph  was  mourning  the  loss  of  the  manuscript, 
the  Lord  revealed  to  him  many  truths  regarding  the  situation 
to  which  he  had  brought  himself,  and  also  warned  him  of  the 
designs  of  wicked  men  who  plotted  to  overthrow  him  and  to 
put  the  name  of  God  and  His  newly  revealed  record  to  shame 
in  the  land. 

A  rebuke  was  given  at  this  time  in  words  which  Joseph 
always  remembered: 


JOSEPH    TIIK    PKOPHKT.  59 

Although  a  man  may  have  many  revelations,  and  have  power  to  do- 
many  mighty  works ;  yet,  if  he  boasts  in  his  own  strength,  and  sets  at 
naught  the  counsels  of  God,  and  follows  after  the  dictates  of  his  own  will 
and  carnal  desires,  he  must  fall  and  incur  the  vengeance  of  a  just  God  upon- 
him. 

While  these  momentous  events  were  in  progress  Joseph 
and  his  wife  were  culled  to  mourn.  In  July,  1828,  a  son  was 
born  to  their  house,  but  the  babe  died  after  a  brief  time  leav- 
ing its  mother  at  the  door  of  dissolution.  The  needs  of  the 
little  household  now  required  that  the  Prophet  should  give  a 
time  to  toil;  and  he  went  forth  to  labor  humbly  and  uncom- 
plainingly. 

While  he  was  thus  engaged,  in  the  month  of  February,. 
1829,  he  received  a  comforting  revelation  from  the  Almighty: 

Now  behold,  a  marvelous  work  is  about  to  come  forth  among  the  children 
of  men;  *  *  *  *  * 

For  behold  the  field  is  white  already  to  harvest,  and  lo,  he  that  thrust- 
eth  in  his  sickle  with  his  might,  the  same  layeth  up  in  store  that  he  perish 
not,  but  bringeth  salvation  to  his  soul. 

Joseph's  desire  to  atone  for  his  loss  of  the  first  manuscript 
impelled  him  to  constant  exertion.  After  his  manual  toil  was 
ended  each  day,  he  contritely  devoted  his  hours  to  the  work  of 
translation ;  and  his  young  wife  aided  him  by  writing  at  his 
dictation.  In  this  way  some  progress  was  made.  But  Emma 
was  bowed  with  bodily  suffering  and  with  sorrow  for  her  babe ; 
and  often  the  holy  task  languished,  causing  Joseph  to  pray 
earnestly  to  God  for  a  writer  who  could  give  his  whole  time  to 
the  work. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

OLIVER  COWDERY  IS  SENT  OF  HEAVEN  TO  AID  THE  PROPHET — THE 
AARONIC  PRIESTHOOD  IS  BROUGHT  TO  EARTH  BY  CHRIST'S  FORE- 
RUNNER  FIRST  BAPTISMS  OF  THIS  DISPENSATION. 

ALMOST  a  year  had  passed  from  the  day  upon  which  Martin 
Harris  began  his  service  as  a  scribe  for  Joseph,  when  once 
more  an  earthly  messenger  of  help  appeared  to  the  Prophet. 

It  was  at  the  hour  of  sunset  on  the  Sabbath  day,  April 
5th,  1829,  when  Oliver  Cowdery  came  to  the  Prophet's  door— 
in  Harmony,  Susquehanna  County,  State  of  Pennsylvania. 
This  young  man,  Oliver  Cowdery,  a  school  teacher,  had  been 
carried  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  1828,  in  fulfillment  of  an 
engagement,  to  the  town  of  Manchester,  New  York.  Hear- 
ing there  of  the  angelic  visitations  to  the  unlearned  farm-lad, 
Joseph  Smith,  he  was  led  to  a  deep  and  prayerful  investigation 
of  the  subject,  A  powerful  conviction  that  Joseph  had  been 
ministered  to  by  heavenly  beings,  as  he  had  testified,  was 
wrought  upon  Oliver's  mind,  and  he  asked  the  Lord  for  direct 
guidance.  His  prayer  was  ansVered,  and  the  Lord  made  plain 
to  him  that  his  would  be  the  privilege  and  the  duty  to  aid  the 
young  Prophet  as  a  scribe  or  secretary.  Situated  as  Oliver 
Cowdery  was,  it  needed  inspiration  from  the  Almighty  to 
enable  him  to  decide  to  accept  such  a  mission ;  for  around  and 
within  the  little  village  of  Manchester  at  that  dark  hour  surged 
the  spirits  of  hatred,  cruelty,  falsehood  and  even  murder,  and 
no  man  from  any  selfish  wish,  would  have  cared  to  ally  him- 
self in  acts  or  sympathetic  words  with  the  cause  and  the  man 
condemned  by  all  the  power  of  the  pulpit.  As  soon  as  he 
could  gain  honorable  release  from  his  school  duties,  Oliver 
journeyed  to  Pennsylvania  and  presented  himself  to  Joseph  as 
one  who  had  a  wish  to  serve  God  and  aid  His  chosen  servant. 

This  was  the  first  conversion  by  the  testimony  of  the 
spirit  of  one  who  had  not  seen  the  Prophet,  The  Church 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  61 

speaks  for  itself  of  the  hundreds  «>f  thousands  of  honest  souls 
who  have  had  the  testimony  of  the  Holy  Ghost  since  that  hour. 

Joseph  accepted  Oliver  as  the  embodied  answer  to  his 
prayer  for  help;  and  on  Tuesday  the  7th  day  of  April,  1829, 
—two  davs  after  they  first  In-held  each  other  in  the  flesh — the 
Prophet  be^an  dictating  to  Oliver  in  continuance  of  the  work 
of  translation.  While  they  labored  the  revelations  of  God 
came  to  them  in  guidance  of  their  daily  work,  in  support  of 
their  hopes  and  in  the  enlargement  "of  their  understandings 
concerning  the  principles  of  salvation. 

As  they  progressed,  they  encountered  a  passage  of  the 
revealed  record  which  spoke  of  baptism  for  the  remission  ol 
sins.  Deeply  imbued  with  the  sense  of  their  great  responsi- 
bility, Joseph  and  Oliver  felt  as  if  a  personal  message  had  come 
to  them,  requiring  their  compliance  with  some  sacred  observ- 
ance. They  talked  together  long  and  earnestly  upon  the  sub- 
ject; and  one  day  in  the  month  of  May,  1829,  they  went  into 
the  woods  together  and  knelt  before  the  Lord.  They  asked 
Him  for  light  concerning  the  matter  of  baptism  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins.  While  kneeling  with  uncovered  heads  and  lift- 
ing up  their  voices  in  supplication,  a  messenger  of  Heaven, 
clothed  in  dazzling  glory,  descended  before  their  eyes.  As  in 
the  other  visitations  which  had  come  to  the  Prophet  alone, 
this  personage  was  also  surrounded  by  a  supernal  light.  He 
stated  to  them  that  he  was  John,  known  as  John  the  Baptist 
at  the  time  of  Christ;  and  that  he  had  come  to  minister  to 
them,  being  under  direction  of  Peter,  James  and  John,  the 
apostles  who  still  .held  the  keys  of  the  priesthood  after  the 
order  of  Melchisedec.  He  laid  his  hands  upon  their  heads 
and  said: 

Upon  you  my  fellow  servants,  in  the  name  of  Messiah,  I  confer  the 
priesthood  of  Aaron,  which  holds  the  keys  of  the  ministering  of  angels  and 
of  the  gospel  of  repentance  and  of  baptism  by  immersion  for  the  remission 
of  sins ;  and  this  shall  never  be  taken  again  from  the  earth  until  the  sons  of 
Levi  do  offer  again  an  offering  unto  the  Lord  in  righteousness. 

Then  this  heavenly  personage,  concerning  whom  the 
Savior  Himself  had  said:  "Among  those  that  are  born  ot 
women  there  is  not  a  greater  prophet  than  John  the  Baptist," 


62  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

and  whose  unique  and  glorious  privilege  it  had  been  while  in 
mortality  to  administer  the  ordinance  of  baptism  to  the  Son  of 
God,  instructed  them  in  the  duties  of  the  Aaronic  priesthood 
to  which  they  had  just  been  ordained.  He  said  to  Joseph  and 
Oliver  that  the  Aaronic  priesthood  did  not  possess  the  author- 
,  ity  to  bestow  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of 
hands,  but  that  such  power  belonged  to  the  priesthood  of  Mel- 
chisedec,  which  in  due  time  would  be  conferred  upon  them. 
Jo,hn  then  commanded  them  that  they  should  go  forth  unto 
the  water;  and  by  the  authority  which  he  had  transmitted  to 
them  they  should  each  baptize  the  other — Joseph  to  immerse 
Oliver  first,  and  then  Oliver  to  perform  the  same  office  for 
Joseph;  and  that  each  should,  following  baptism,  re-ordain  the 
other  to  the  priesthood  after  the  order  of  Aaron.  Later,  they 
would  receive  the  Melchisedec  priesthood  and  be  ordained  as 
elders;  Joseph  to  be  first  and  Oliver  second. 

When  John  left  them  and  ascended  in  his  encircling  pil- 
lar of  light,  they  went  straightway  to  perform  the  command 
which  they  had  received.  Joseph  led  Oliver  down  into  the 
water,  and,  by  the  authority  which  he  had  received,  the 
Prophet  immersed  his  companion  for,  the  remission  of  sin. 
As  soon  as  this  was  done,  Oliver  immersed  Joseph  in  the  same 
manner  and  by  the  same  authority.  They  came  up  together 
•out  of  the  water;  and  ordained  each  other  to  the  Aaronic 
priesthood. 

No  sooner  had  they  fulfilled  the  requirement  left  with 
them  by  John  than  they  felt  the  power  of  holiness  resting 
upon  them.  Each  one  of  them  had  instantly  the  gift  o± 
mighty  prophecy.  Joseph  saw  and  foretold  the  establishment 
of  a  Church  founded  upon  the  rock  of  righteousness;  having 
the  everlasting  Gospel ;  proclaiming  the  truth  to  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth;  fulfilling  the  destiny  designed  by  God  in  the 
redemption  of  humanity  from  darkness  and  misery.  Oliver, 
too,  prophesied  of  many  glorious  things,  both  for  his  own 
comfort  and  that  of  Joseph. 

Thus  filled  with  sublime  delight,  entertaining  more  hope 
and  courage  than  ever  before,  they  returned  to  their  labor  of 
translation.  If  anything  had  been  wanting  to  banish  every 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPIIKT.  63 

worldly  thought  from  their  minds  and  to  fill  them  with  a  zeal- 
ous desire  to  hasten  the  work,  the  promise  of  John  supplied 
that  requirement.  Having  so  far  been  permitted  to  partake 
of  the  blessings  and  ordinances  enjoyed  by  the  chosen  servants 
of  Christ  in«an  other  age;  and  having  a  promise  that  through 
faithfulness  they  should  enjoy  other  gifts  of  this  holy  nature, 
nothing  could  restrain  their  ardor. 

The  bitter  experience  which  Joseph  had  endured,  through 
communicating  so  freely  the  glorious  manifestations  which  he 
had  received,  taught  him  caution.  When  he  received  his  first 
communications  from  heaven,  he  had  supposed  that  he  could 
relate  what  had  occurred  and  the  tidings  would  be  gladly 
received;  but  he  soon  learned,  as  so  many  of  those  who  have 
since  espoused  the  truth  have  also  learned,  that  the  words  ot 
caution  given  by  the  Lord  Jesus  to  His  disciples,  concerning 
giving  that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs  and  casting  their 
pearls  before  swine,  were  as  applicable  to  these  times  as  they 
were  when  He  gave  them.  There  was  a  class  of  persons  who 
would  trample  such  precious  things  under  their  feet  and  would 
turn  again  and  rend  those  who  presented  the  truth  to  them. 
Except,  therefore,  in  things  of  this  sacred  character  which  he 
was  commanded  of  the  Lord  to  make  known,  he  kept  them  to 
himself.  So  he  and  Oliver  hid  within  their  breasts  the  fact  of 
John's  visitation  and  their  baptism,  and  the  joy  arising  there- 
from. Yet,  notwithstanding  their  caution,  every  step  taken 
by  the  Prophet  in  fulfillment  of  God's  purposes  in  this  dis- 
pensation, however  quietly  he  had  acted,  had  been  followed 
quickly  by  a  new  outburst  of  persecution.  The  dawn  of  a 
new  era  was  visible,  and  the  evil  one  must  exert  every  power 
he  possessed  to  becloud  the  minds  of  men.  The  hatred  of  the 
people  dwelling  in  the  vicinity  of  Harmony  was  kindled, 
unaccountably  even  to  themselves,  against  the  two  young  men. 
A  mob  spirit  reigned  in  the  neighborhood;  arid  a  murderous 
attack  upon  Joseph  and  Oliver  was  only  prevented  by  the 
influence  of  Isaac  Hale  and  his  family,  who  gave  sympathy 
and  help  at  this  hour  to  the  Prophet. 

Joseph  and  Oliver,  in  the  midst  of  their  labors,  did  not 
fail  to  pray  for  that  help  and  guidance  which  they  needed. 


64  JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET. 

From  the  record  itself  they  gathered  a  large  store  of  religious 
truths;  and,  their  minds  being  opened  to  comprehend  the 
principles  of  salvation,  they  also  searched  the  other  scriptures, 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  with  great  profit  to  themselves. 
As  a  result,  much  blessing  came  to  them  through  their 
devotion  and  industry.  Joseph's  concentration  upon  the  work 
entrusted  to  him  had  such  effect  upon  members  of  the  Hale 
family,  that  they  united  in  giving  to  him  the  assurance  that  he 
should  be  protected  from  the  mob;  and  that  he  should  be 
saved  from  all  unlawful  persecution,  so  far  as  their  influence 
and  strength  could  avail  to  defend  him.  They  also  extended 
to  Oliver  a  promise  to  similarly  protect  him  so  long  as  he 
remained  to  assist  Joseph. 

After  a  little  time,  the  spirit  led  the  Prophet  to  impart  to 
his  friends  and  acquaintances  some  of  the  information  which 
he  had  gained.  Though  at  this  time  he  was  far  from  possess- 
ing the  comprehension  of  the  truth  which  he  afterwards  had, 
he  was  still  rich  in  knowledge  and  blessings,  compared  with 
the  people  who  surrounded  him  and  who  were  enthralled  by 
the  ignorance  and  intolerance  which  had  been  growing  through 
all  the  ages  since  the  ruin  of  the  early  church. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE  PROPHET'S  BROTHER  SAMUEL  BAPTIZED  BY  OLIVER — RENEWED 
DANGER   TO  THE  WORK HELP  FROM  FAYETTE MIRACULOUS 

INTERPOSITION  TO  AID    DAVID    WHITMER HYRUM    SMITH  .AND 

OTHERS  BELIEVE  AND  ARE  BAPTIZED. 

WHILE  thus  busily  engaged,  Samuel  H.  Smith,  a  brother  of 
Joseph,  came  down  from  Manchester  to  Harmony.  Joseph 
proclaimed  to  him  the  truth,  so  far  as  it  had  been  revealed; 
presented  to  his  view  the  translation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
so  far  as  it  had  been  completed;  and  then  besought  him  to 
gain  by  prayer  to  Almighty  God,  a  knowledge  for  himself 
concerning  the  divine  origin  of  that  which  he  had  heard  and 
seen.  Samuel,  a  man  of  integrity  and  singleness  and  fixity 
of  purpose,  was  not  easily  convinced.  Finally,  however,  he 
consented  to  ask  for  light  from  Heaven.  For  this  purpose  he 
retired  to  the  woods  and  humbled  himself  in  supplication 
before  the  Lord.  A  convincing  answer  came  to  his  prayer, 
and  he  hastened  to  Joseph  with  his  tidings  of  joy.  At  the 
request  of  the  Prophet,  Oliver  Cowdery  administered  to  Sam- 
uel in  the  ordinance  of  baptism  for  the  remission  of  his  sins? 
and  later  he  was  confirmed.  The  same  signs  followed  in 
this  case;  and  Samuel  was  filled  with  the  spirit  of  prophecy 
and  praise.  He  uttered  many  sublime  truths  of  which  his 
mind  up  to  that  moment  had  never  conceived.  Desiring  that 
his  kindred  might  be  made  partakers  of  his  joy,  he  journeyed 
quickly  back  to  Manchester  to  give  to  the  family  the  news  of 
Joseph's  extended  calling.  Hyrum  Smith  came  to  Harmony 
immediately  afterward  to  inquire  of  Joseph  concerning  these 
wondrous  things.  The  young  Prophet  declared  to  his  elder 
brother  that  an  angel  from  Heaven  had  restored  to  earth  the 
power  to  baptize  for  the  remission  of  human  sin ;  and  that 
himself  and  Oliver  had  been  made  the  recipients  of  this 
authority. 


66  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

Hyrum  Smith  was  a  noble  man,  filled  with  earnest  desire 
for  truth  and  holiness.  He  asked  Joseph  to  obtain  further 
light,  and  at  his  request  the  Prophet  solicited  a  direct  revela- 
tion from  the  Lord,  on  Hyrum's  behalf.  The  desire  was 
answered  in  a  revelation  given  to  Hyrum,  through  the  Prophet. 
In  that  revelation,  these  words  occur : 

"Hyrum,  my  son,  seek  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  all  things  shall  be 
added  according  to  that  winch  is  just.  Build  upon  my  rock,  which  is  my 
Gospel.  Deny  not  the  Spirit  of  Revelation  nor  the  Spirit  of  Prophecy ; 
for  woe  unto  him  that  denieth  these  things. ' ' 

Hyrum  believed  and  awaited  the  proper  hour  for  baptism. 

While  the  light  of  truth  was  thus  breaking  upon  the 
world,  all  the  powers  of  hell  allied  themselves  against  it,  with 
the  determination  that  it  should  be  extinguished.  Mobs 
increased  in  strength  and  hatred.  Added  to  this  constant 
menace,  Joseph  once  more  found  himself  almost  destitute  of 
means.  He  would  soon  have  been  compelled  to  relinquish 
the  glorious  work  of  translation  to  engage  again  in  manual 
toil  for  the  sustenance  of  his  family  and  to  provide  mainte- 
nance for  himself  and  Oliver,  had  not  Providence  again  raised 
up  a  friend  to  come  to  his  aid. 

In  this  eventful  month  of  May,  1829,  a  man  named  Joseph 
Knight  appeared  at  Harmony  and  sought  out  the  Prophet. 
Mr.  Knight  had  heard  of  Joseph's  work  and  desired  to 
contribute  out  of  his  means  to  the  progress  of  the  cause.  He 
brought  food  and  such  other  comforts  as  would  enable  the 
Prophet  to  continue  his  work  of  translation  without  being 
interrupted.  Not  only  upon  this  occasion,  but  more  than  once 
subsequently,  Joseph  Knight  journeyed  from  his  home  in 
Broome  County,  New  York,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  to 
ibring  supplies  to  the  Prophet's  house. 

Also  in  this  month  of  May,  Joseph  received  a  revelation 
from  God  instructing  him  that  the  manuscript  lost  by  Martin 
Harris  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  wicked  men,  who  had 
made  alterations  with  intent  to  bring  shame  and  confusion 
upon  Joseph,  and  distrust  upon  the  word  of  the  Lord;  that 
the  portion  which  was  thus  lost  and  changed  was  only  a  trans- 
lation of  an  abridgement  of  certain  records ;  and  that,  instead 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  67 

of  translating  once  more  this  part  of  the  work,  Joseph  should 
translate  the  record  of  the  original  plates  from  which  the 
abridgement  had  been  made — thus  giving  a  more  complete 
presentation, of  that  portion  of  the  history  and  thus  prevent- 
ing the  wicked  from  bringing  forth  their  forgery  and  casting 
discredit  upon  the  Prophet  by  its  means. 

But  the  persecution  did  not  cease,  and  the  mobs  seemed 
to  be  gathering  their  forces  with  some  definite  determination. 
At  the  opening  of  the  month  of  June,  1829,  immediate  dan- 
ger threatened  the  Prophet  and  his  charge.  But  at  this  time 
a  young  man,  calling  himself  David  "Whitmer,  presented 
himself  at  the  residence  of  Joseph  and  announced  that  he 
came  with  a  message  from  his  father,  Peter  Whitmer,  of 
Fayette,  Seneca  County,  New  York.  The  message  was  an 
invitation  from  the  elder  Whitmer  to  Joseph,  requesting  him 
to  remove  with  his  work  and  his  assistant  to  Fayette  and  there 
enjoy  the  hospitality  of  the  Whitmers  and  the  protection 
which  they  would  be  able  to  afford  him,  until  his  labor  could 
be  completed. 

The  young  man  David  also  related  to  Joseph  a  marvelous 
interposition  which  had  enabled  him  to  deliver  his  message  so 
early.  When  David  first  felt  an  impression  that  he  ought  to 
journey  to  Harmony  in  search  of  Joseph,  he  questioned  the 
wisdom  of  such  a  course ;  because  his  farm-work  was  in  such 
a  condition  that  much  loss  must  ensue,  he  feared,  if  he 
departed  at  a  time  apparently  so  inopportune.  He  was  pon- 
dering his  doubts  upon  the  subject,  when  he  was  instructed  by 
the  whispering  of  the  Spirit  that  his  duty  required  him  to  go 
down  to  Harmony  as  soon  as  his  field  labor  should  reach  a  cer- 
tain state.  He  toiled  during  the  ensuing  day  to  harrow  in  the 
wheat  of  a  large  field ;  and  at  night  he  found  that  he  had  done 
more  in  a  few  hours  than  he  could  usually  accomplish  in  two 
or  three  days.  The  next  morning  he  went  out  to  spread  plas- 
ter, according  to  the  custom  of  that  region,  upon  another  field. 
When  he  reached  the  spot  where  he  had  formerly  deposited 
large  heaps  of  the  plaster,  he  found  that  it  had  been  carried 
upon  the  field  and  spread  just  as  he  would  have  laid  it  by  his 
own  hand.  He  marveled  much.  His  sister  dwelt  near  the 


68  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

place  and  he  asked  her  who  had  done  the  work.  She  ans- 
wered him  that  three  strangers  had  appeared  at  the  field  the 
day  previous  and  had  scattered  the  plaster  with  wonderful 
skill  and  speed.  She  and  her  children  had  viewed  with  amaze- 
ment the  progress  made  by  the  men ;  but  she  had  said  nothing 
to  them  as  they  were  strangers,  and  she  presumed  that  David 
had  employed  them  to  help  him  through  his  rush  of  work. 

Both  Peter  Whitmer  and  his  son  regarded  these  events 
as  miraculous  interpositions  to  aid  David  to  hasten  down  into 
Pennsylvania.  The  young  man  therefore  departed  with  his 
horses  and  wagon  the  next  morning  and  journeyed  to  Har- 
mony, a  distance,  as  traveled^  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles, 
in  two  days. 

This  aid  came  providentially;  and  Joseph,  after  receiving 
instruction  in  answer  to  prayer,  accepted  the  invitation.  "When 
the  Prophet  was  prepared  to  depart  from  Harmony,  he  asked 
the  Lord  to  direct  the  manner  in  which  the  plates  should  be 
carried  to  Fayette.  He  was  told  in  response  that  the  angel 
would  receive  the  treasures ;  and  after  the  arrival  of  Joseph 
at  the  home  of  Peter  Whitmer  in  Fayette,  would  again  deliver 
them  into  his  hands.  Thus  relieved,  Joseph  went  serenely 
forth;  and  in  a  few  days  he  was  safe  at  Fayette.  In  the  gar- 
den adjoining  the  Whitmer  residence,  the  Prophet  was  visited 
by  the  angel  and  once  more  was  placed  in  possession  of  the 
record. 

The  family  of  Peter  Whitmer,  and  some  other  persons  in 
the  neighborhood,  were  very  earnest  inquirers  after  truth. 
The  supernatural  instruction  and  aid  which  David  had  received 
to  go  down  into  Pennsylvania  and  offer  his  father's  house  as 
a  refuge  to  Joseph,  amazed  all  who  heard  of  the  occurrence. 
Therefore  Joseph  found  many  people  at  Fayette  anxious  to 
receive  him.  Peter  Whitmer  and  all  the  members  of  his 
household  accorded  to  Joseph  and  also  to  Oliver  every  help 
and  comfort  within  their  bestowal;  and  thus,  without  fur- 
ther anxiety  as  to  their  maintenance  or  safety,  they  were 
enabled  to  progress  with  the  translation  of  the  sacred  history. 

While  they  were  not  laboring  upon  this  work,  they  were 
praying  and  teaching  among  the  people.  Thus  the  Prophet 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  69 

and  his  assistant  Oliver  wrought  much  good.  Several  honest, 
God-fearing  souls  became  convinced  that  Joseph  Smith  was 
entrusted  with  a  divine  mission.  And  in  this  month  of  June, 
1829,  three  persons  were  baptized  in  Seneca  Lake,  after  the 
pattern  and  under  the  authority  received  from  John,  the  fore- 
runner of  our  Savior.  Hyrum  Smith  and  David  Whitmer 
received  this  ordinance  under  the  hands  of  the  Prophet  him- 
self; and  John  Whitmer,  a  brother  of  David,  was  baptized 
by  Oliver  Cowdery. 

The  work  of  translation  went  on  rapidly.  "When  Oliver's 
hand  would  grow  weary  after  some  hours  of  writing,  either 
John  or  David  Whitmer  would  take  his  place  and  continue  at 
the  Prophet's  dictation. 


CHAPTER    XL 

ELEVEN  CHOSEN  WITNESSES  VIEW  THE  PLATES — THEIR  UNIMPEACH- 
ABLE TESTIMONY RESTORATION  OF  THE  MELCHISEDEC  PRIEST- 
HOOD BY  DISCIPLES  OF  OUR  LORD THE  APOSTLESHIP  CONFER- 
RED  OTHER  BAPTISMS THE  TRANSLATION  COMPLETED. 

AFTER  establishing  himself  at  the  house  of  David  Whitmer, 
and  early  in  the  month  of  June  while  engaged  in  translating, 
Joseph  was  instructed  that  three  special  witnesses  should  be 
blessed  of  God  with  a  revelation  of  the  truth  of  the  Book 
and  should  be  permitted  to  examine  the  plates.  This  was,  also, 
in  fulfillment  of  predictions  published  in  the  Book  of  Mormon. 
When  this  promise  became  known  to  Oliver  Cowdery  and 
David  Whitmer,  they  begged  that  they  might  be  numbered 
among  the  three  witnesses.  While  they  were  still  making  their 
petitions  for  this  favor,  Martin  Harris  came  to  Fayette.  Impelled 
by  repentance  and  a  desire  to  gain  forgiveness,  he  had  followed 
Joseph.  Martin  humbled  himself  in  prayer  to  God  and  solic- 

Id  the  entreaties  of  Joseph  in  his  behalf.      Joseph  joined 


70  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

with  Martin  in  praying  to  Heaven  that  his  humility 
and  contrition  might  be  accepted  and  that  he  might  be 
received  again  into  favor.  The  Lord  answered  Joseph  that  if 
Martin  continued  faithful  and  humble,  and  refused  to  be  led 
away  again  by  evil  counsels  or  the  vanity  of  the  world,  his 
sins  would  be  forgiven.  Then  Martin,  learning  that  witnesses 
were  to  be  chosen  to  behold  the  plates  of  gold,  bearing  the 
engraved  record,  and  to  give  testimony  to  all  the  world  con- 
cerning this  work  of  God,  most  penitently  and  anxiously  solic- 
ited that  he  might  be  one  of  the  witnesses  with  Oliver  Cow- 
dery  and  David  Whitmer.  Much  supplication  was  offered  by 
these  three  men;  and  Joseph  prayed  to  the  Lord  on  their 
behalf.  Soon  the  Prophet  received  a  reply  that  through 
prayer  and  humility,  Oliver  and  David  and  Martin  should 
witness  this  manifestation  of  the  power  of  God;  that  they  should 
view  the  plates  of  gold  upon  which  were  written  the  sacred 
records;  that  they  should  see  the  Urim  and  Thummim — the 
breast-plate  of  gold,  and  also  the  seer-stones  which  were 
given  to  the  brother  of  Jared  upon  the  mount,  when  he  talked 
with  the  Lord  face  to  face  ;  and  that  they  should  be  permitted 
to  behold  the  sword  of  Laban,  which  Nephi  carried  away 
from  Jerusalem.  After  this  promise  was  given  in  a  revelation 
through  the  Prophet,  he  and  his  three  fellow-servants,  Oliver 
Cowdery,  David  Whitmer  and  Martin  Harris,  withdrew  into 
a  retired  spot  in  the  woods,  and  there  bowed  themselves  in 
humble  prayer.  Joseph  first  offered  a  supplication  to  the 
Lord  and  he  was  followed  by  the  others  in  succession ;  all  ask- 
ing that  the  witnesses  might  be  purified  and  forgiven  before 
Heaven  and  be  permitted  to  view  the  plates  and  the  other 
treasures.  At  first  they  received  no  manifestation  of  Divine 
favor;  and  they  contritely  and  fervently  repeated  their 
solicitations.  Still  there  came  no  answer.  Martin  Harris 
then  arose  and  confessed  that  his  presence  was  the  cause  of 
their  failure.  He  said  that  he  realized,  through  the  whisper- 
ing of  the  Spirit,  that  his  presence  was  objectionable  because 
of  the  sins  he  had  formerly  committed,  and  that  the  Lord 
designed  this  as  a  rebuke  to  him  and  an  admonition  that  he 
must  continue  to  humble  himself  before  Heaven.  He  proposed 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  71 

that  ho  should  withdraw  to  a  little  distance,  beyond  the  sight 
of  his  companions,  and  engage  in  silent  prayer ;  while  they 
should  continue  their  joint  supplications  for  the  favor  of  God. 

After  Martin  was  gone,  the  others  knelt  down  again  and 
engaged  once  more  in  prayer.  While  they  were  beseeching 
the  Heavens,  a  light  of  exceeding  brightness  changed  the 
shadowed  air  above  their  heads  into  wondrous  brilliancy,  and 
soon  descended  around  about  them.  Within  a  pillar  of  radi- 
ance stood  the  angel  holding  the  treasures  in  his  hands.  He 
turned  over  the  leaves  of  the  unsealed  portion  of  the 
record  one  by  one,  and  displayed  to  the  gaze  of  Oliver 
and  David  the  golden  plates.  So  bright  was  the  light  that 
they  could  plainly  discern  the  engraved  characters.  The 
angel  also  showed  to  them  the  other  promised  treasures. 
While  the  light  was  still  about  them,  the  voice  of  Heaven 
declared  to  them  the  divinity  of  the  work  of  which  they  were 
the  witnesses.  And  after  they  had  been  admonished  to  be 
forever  faithful  to  the  testimony  bestowed  upon  them,  the 
vision  withdrew. 

Joseph  left  Oliver  and  David  engaged  in  thanksgiving  to 
God  for  His  infinite  mercy,  while  he  hastened  away  to  find 
Martin  Harris.  At  a  little  distance,  still  within  the  wood, 
Joseph  discovered  Martin  praying  hopelessly.  He  had  not 
been  able  to  obtain  an  answer  to  his  supplication,  and  he  earn- 
estly entreated  Joseph  to  join  with  him  in  his  appeal  to  the 
Lord.  Meekly  they  prayed  to  God;  and  at  length  came  an 
answer  in  the  renewal  of  the  vision.  Once  more  the  holy 
personage  descended  in  dazzling  brightness  and  exhibited  to 
Martin  the  plates  and  the  other  treasures  as  they  had  been 
shown  to  Oliver  and  David.  And  again  the  voice  of  Heaven 
gave  testimony  and  admonition.  So  great  was  the  glory  of 
the  vision  that  Martin  Harris  had  not  strength  to  long  sustain 
his  ecstasy;  and  he  fell  upon  his  face,  crying, 

"It  is  enough!  Mine  eyes  have  beheld  of  the  glories  ot 
God!" 

All  the  witnesses  then  returned  with  the  Prophet  to  the 
house  of  Peter  Whitmer.  Later  they  gave  to  the  world  the 
testimony  which  has  since  gone  forth  with  the  Book  of  Mor- 


72  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

mon :  declaring  to  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues  and  people 
that  through  the  grace  of  God  the  Eternal  Father  and  His  son 
Jesus  Christ,  they  had  seen  the  plates  containing  the  holy 
record;  that  an  angel  of  God  came  down  from  Heaven  and 
laid  before  their  eyes  the  plates ;  that  they  beheld  the  engrav- 
ing thereon;  and  that  the  voice  of  God  had  declared  unto 
them  for  a  surety  that  the  holy  record  was  true  arid  had  been 
faithfully  translated;  and  to  this  testimony  they  added  the 
solemn  words : 

"We  know  that  if  we  are  faithful  in  Christ,  we  shall  rid  our  garments  of 
the  blood  of  all  men  and  be  found  spotless  before  the  Judgment  Seat  of 
Christ,  and  shall  dwell  eternally  with  Him  in  the  Heavens." 

The  great  happiness  which  the  three  witnesses  experienced 
in  thus  being  permitted  to  view  the  sacred  treasure,  and  the 
great  desire  they  evinced  from  this  hour  to  aid  the  work  of 
the  Lord,  made  Joseph  anxious  that  others  who  were  worthy 
might,  in  part  at  least,  participate  in  that  blessing.  He  there- 
fore obtained  permission  from  the  Lord,  to  show  the  plates  of 
gold  to  eight  other  faithful  persons:  Christian  Whitmer, 
Jacob  Whitmer,  Peter  Whitmer,  Jr.,  John  Whitmer,  Hiram 
Page,  Joseph  Smith,  Sen.,  Hyrum  Smith  and  Samuel  H. 
Smith.  And  these  men  also  gave  to  the  world  a  testimony 
which  has  linked  their  names  forever  with  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon and  the  cause  of  Christ. .  They  saw,  and  testified  to  see- 
ing, the  plates  of  gold  and  the  engravings  of  curious  work- 
manship upon  them.  And  they  closed  their  simple  declara- 
tion with  these  words : 

"And  we  give  our  names  unto  the  world  to  witness  unto  the  world  that 
which  we  have  seen ;  and  we  lie  not,  God  bearing  witness  of  it." 

At  length  the  translation  was  completed,  and  Joseph  and 
his  friends  arranged  to  have  the  book  printed.  A  contract 
was  made  with  Egbert  B.  Grandin,  of  Palmyra,  Wayne 
County,  New  York.  And  soon  this  sublime  work,  which 
details  the  history  of  the  peoples  who  anciently  inhabited  the 
continents  of  North  and  South  America;  which  describes  the 
dealings  of  God  with  the  nations  of  the  past  upon  these  lands ; 
and  which  recounts  the  ministrations  of  Christ  in  this  part  of 
His  vineyard  after  His  crucifixion  at  Jerusalem,  was  opened 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  73 

to  the  gaze  of  the  world.  It  is  a  marvelous  book  nnd  a  won- 
der. Its  pages  portray  the  history  of  powerful  nations  which 
flourished  for  hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  years;  and  yet, 
despite  the  brevity  of  the  work,  this  history  is  more  complete 
and  graphic  than  any  that  was  ever  penned  by  the  unaided 
hand  of  man.  The  book  also  contains  a  record  of  a  sublime 
system  of  religion  and  religious  government,  as  perfect  as  any 
•enjoyed  by  man  upon  this  earth. 

After  the  work  of  translation  was  ended,  Joseph  re-com- 
mitted his  charge  to  the  care  of  the  Angel  of  the  record;  and 
Moroni  received  it  back  into  his  keeping,  to  bring  forth  the 
yet  unsealed  portions  of  it  only  when  God  shall  so  decree. 

Joseph,  and  Oliver  under  the  Prophet's  direction,  labored 
assiduously  to  spread  the  truth  among  the  people.  And, 
though  the  powers  of  evil  were  often  manifested  against  them, 
they  still  were  blessed  with  much  success.  They  had  not 
waited  for  the  completion  of  the  work  of  translation  in  order  to 
engage  in  preaching.  They  felt  that  the  command  was  already 
definite,  and  that  the  need  of  the  world  was  urgent.  As  they 
became  more  acquainted  with  the  glorious  truths  which  had 
t>een  opened  to  their  minds  through  the  bestowal  of  the 
Aaronic  Priesthood  upon  them,  they  became  eager  to  obtain 
a  better  understanding  of  the  work  of  God  and  to  enjoy 
further  blessings  and  gifts  in  accordance  with  the  promise 
made  to  them. 

Some  time  in  the  month  of  June,  1829,  Peter,  James  and 
John,  the  ancient  disciples  of  our  Lord  and  Savior,  and  who, 
under  Him,  held  the  keys  of  that  dispensation,  appeared  in 
glory  to  Joseph  and  conferred  upon  him  the  apostleship  to 
which  they  themselves  had  been  ordained  by  the  Lord  Jesus 
while  in  mortality.  Then  these  holy  personages  ordained 
Oliver  to  the  same  Priesthood.  After  they  had  departed, 
Joseph  re-ordained  Oliver,  and  also  accepted  a  re-ordination 
himself  at  Oliver's  hands.  Thus  was  the  Melchisedec  Priest- 
hood in  purity  and  power  again  received  on  earth.  The  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  sealed  upon  the  heads  of  the  Prophet 
and  his  fellow-servant,  and  they  enjoyed  its  fullness  of  blessing. 
A  momentous  revelation  soon  followed  from  the  Lord; 


74  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

directed  not  only  to  Joseph,  but  to  Oliver  Cowder y  and  David 
Whitmer,  making  known  the  calling  of  the  apostles  of  the 
last  dispensation  and  bestowing  instructions  concerning  the 
building  up  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  according  to  the  fullness 
of  the  gospel. 

So  passed  some  months  of  blessing  and  industry.  Truth 
was  constantly  developed  by  study  and  reflection  upon  God'& 
goodness  and  the  mysteries  of  His  kingdom  through  the  aid 
of  revelation  from  Him.  Much  time  was  also  given  to  inquir- 
ing acquaintances  and  strangers  who  came  to  seek  for  light. 
Whenever  any  person,  being  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the 
mission  to  which  Joseph  Smith  had  been  called,  solicited  bap- 
tism at  the  hands  of  the  apostles,  if  Joseph  became  convinced 
of  the  sincerity  and  worthiness  of  the  applicant,  the  ordi- 
nance was  administered  in  faith  and  power.  It  never  failed 
to  produce  its  promised  result. 

Emma,  the  wife  of  the  Prophet,  had  remained  in  Penn- 
sylvania. After  the  manuscript  translation  had  been  placed 
in  the  printer's  hands,  Joseph  found  time  to  visit  his  wife.  As 
fast  as  the  truth  was  made  known  to  him  through  revelation, 
he  communicated  it  unto  her;  he  desired  that  she  might 
partake  with  him  of  the  gifts  which  Heaven  was  bestowing, 
He  paid  two  or  three  visits  to  Harmony  during  the  autumn 
of  1829,  and  the  succeeding  winter;  while  Oliver,  under 
Joseph's  direction,  gave  close  attention  to  the  printing  and 
publishing  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Early  in  the  spring  of 
1830,  the  work  was  completed  and  the  first  edition  of  the 
book  was  given  to  the  world. 

And  at  this  time  the  hour  was  come  for  the  establishment, 
after  the  order  revealed  by  God,  of  ths  Church  of  Christ  once 
more  upon  the  earth. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

ORGANIZATION    OF   THE   CHURCH   AT   FAYETTE REVIEW   OF   THE 

PROPHET'S  LABORS — HIS  UNPRETENTIOUS  CHARACTER — THE 
COURAGE  WHICH  ANIMATED  HIM  WAS  SHARED  BY  HIS  ASSO- 
CIATES  THE  WITNESSES  AND  EARLY  MEMBERS  OF  THE 

CHURCH. 

THE  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  was  organ- 
ized on  the  6th  day  of  April,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty,  in  Fayette,  Seneca  County  > 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  Six  persons  were  the  original 
members:  Joseph  Smith  the  Prophet,  Oliver  Cowdery,. 
Hyrum  Smith,  Peter  Whitmer,  Jun.,  Samuel  H.  Smith,  and 
David  Whitmer.  Each  of  the  men  had  already  been  baptized 
by  direct  authority  from  Heaven.  The  organization  was  made 
on  the  day  and  after  the  pattern  dictated  by  God  in  a  revela- 
tion given  to  Joseph  Smith.  The  Church  was  called  after  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ;  because  He  so  ordered.  Jesus  accepted 
the  Church,  declared  it  to  be  His  own,  and  empowered  it  to 
minister  on  earth  in  His  name. 

The  sacrament,  under  inspiration  from  Jesus  Christ,  was 
administered  to  all  who  had  thus  taken  upon  them  His  name. 

This  was  a  day  of  great  joy  to  Joseph — a  joy  which  was 
shared  by  those  who  became  thus  united  with  him  in  a  holy 
work.  It  is  also  a  day  now  reverenced  by  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  the  human  family;  a  day  to  be  held  in  sacred  venera- 
tion throughout  all  the  time  to  elapse  until  the  Messiah  Him- 
self shall  come  in  glory  to  accept  the  Kingdom  from  the  hands 
of  His  authorized  servants,  and  to  give  reward  for  all  the 
woes  and  the  persecutions  which  men  have  heaped  upon  His 
chosen  ones. 

Joseph  was  at  this  time  twenty-four  years  of  age.  A 
period  of  ten  years  had  passed  since  the  hour  in  which  the 
Father  and  Son  had  first  appeared  in  answer  to  his  prayer. 


76  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

During  the  most  of  this  time  he  had  been  in  close  communi- 
cation with  the  Heavens,  and  the  organization  of  the  Church 
was  but  the  accomplishment  of  a  definite  purpose  of  the 
Almighty.  Joseph  had  been,  led  along,  himself  not  knowing 
in  complete  fullness  to  what  great  result  his  life  and  labors 
were  tending.  He  had  only  known  to  do  the  will  of  Heaven 
as  expressed  to  him,  and  to  patiently  await  the  future.  Doubt- 
less at  this  hour  of  the  organization  he  looked  back  with 
thanks  and  marvel  at  all  which  God  had  given  for  the  benefit 
of  His  children.  From  out  of  the  false  religions  of  the  earth 
the  Lord  had  lifted  this  His  servant,  and  had  trained  him  from 
boyhood  in  the  way  most  pleasing  to  Him. 

In  the  very  manner  of  the  restoration  of  the  gospel, 
Joseph  learned  that  God  requires  even  His  elect  to  defer  to 
the  order  and  authority  instituted  by  Christ.  The  power  by 
which  Joseph  Smith  was  baptized  was  the  same  power  by 
which  every  man  must  be  baptized  who  has  a  membership  in 
the  Church  of  Christ.  That  power  had  been  taken  from  the 
earth,  leaving  the  human  family  without  the  authority  to 
administer  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  during  many  centu- 
ries. No  earthly  being  could  restore  it,  and  none  could  use  it 
until  John  the  Baptist  conferred  it  in  its  fullness  upon  Joseph 
and  also  upon  his  fellow  servant,  Oliver.  There  is  something 
significant  in  the  fact  that  the  authority  to  baptize  was 
bestowed  upon  Joseph  and  Oliver  by  the  same  personage  who 
had  stood  in  the  waters  of  the  Jordan  about  180Q  years  before, 
to  immerse  in  that  stream  the  earthly  tabernacle  of  God's 
Only  Begotten.  As  Joseph  had  not  been  permitted  to  offici- 
ate in  baptism,  or  to  confer  the  Aaronic  Priesthood,  until 
John  had  visited  him  and  transmitted  that  authority  from 
Heaven,  so  after  even  this  blessing  had  become  his  own,  he 
was  unable  to  seal  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  to  ordain  an 
Elder,  until  after  Peter,  James  and  John  had  endowed  him 
with  the  Priesthood  after  the  holy  order  of  Melchisedec. 
And  even  after  both  these  holy  orders  of  Priesthood  were 
given  to  him,  and  he  had  ordained  Oliver  unto  them;  even 
after  he  had  beheld  in  vision  the  establishment  of  the  work  of 
righteousness,  he  knew  not  how  nor  when  the  organization  of 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  77 

the  Church  should  be  accomplished.  It  was  necessary  that 
(Jod  should  define  the  mode  and  the  principle  of  organization, 
and  should  direct  each  step  to  be  taken  in  this  establishment 
of  His  kingdom ;  and  it  was  not  until  He  did  this  that  Joseph 
knt'\v  in  what  manner  to  obtain  the  restoration  of  the  power 
which  belongs  to  the  body  of  the  Saints  in  Christ. 

Joseph  proceeded  carefully,  and  exactly  according  to  the 
instruction  of  the  Almighty,  and  he  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
work  which  will  endure  as  long  as  earth  shall  last. 

The  people  who  thus  became  associated  with  Joseph  were 
generally  his  seniors,  but  there  was  no  hesitation  on  their 
part  in  yielding  him  the  respect  due  to  the  representative  of 
Christ  on  earth,  and  they  united  in  giving  him  a  devotion 
which  supported  and  blessed  him  from  hour  to  hour.  Joseph 
was  no  longer  an  uncouth  village  lad,  for  the  exalted  course 
of  his  life  during  the  years  in  which  he  had  walked  under 
God's  guidance  had  elevated  him  intellectually  until  he  was 
already  the  peer  of  any  man.  ~No  doubt  at  this  hour  he  was 
lacking,  as  he  had  been  in  his  earlier  youth,  in  the  technical 
teachings  of  the  schools ;  but  he  had  a  deeper  knowledge  and 
a  finer  judgment  than  any  possessed  by  the  most  favored  of 
all  the  students  of  the  colleges.  As  a  boy  he  may  have  been 
no  more  potent  in  swaying  the  feelings  and  judgment  of  those 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact  than  were  his  fellow  youths; 
but  as  a  man  of  God,  clothed  upon  with  the  Priesthood,  filled 
with  zeal,  noble  in  carriage,  majestic  in  deportment,  no  person 
could  view  him  without  bestowing  veneration.  Such  is  the 
testimony  of  all  who  knew  him  at  this  time.  It  is  true  that 
he  had  not  yet  received  that  broad  culture,  he  had  not  pene- 
trated to  the  depths  of  theology,  astronomy,  and  all  the  higher 
sciences  which  govern  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  unto  which 
the  Spirit  of  God  eventually  led  him;  but  from  his  almost 
transparent  face  there  shone  a  light  of  such  beauty  and  power, 
and  from  his  lips  there  came  such  words  of  divine  promise 
to  mankind,  that  his  associates  accorded .  to  him  a  greater 
respect  than  could  have  been  elicited  by  the  most  learned 
minister  of  earthly  churches,  or  the  most  powerful  ruler  ot 
earthly  kingdonls. 


78  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

The  men  who  were  thus  associated  with  him,  and  who 
thus  freely  tendered  him,  as  the  vicegerent  of  God  on  earth, 
the  highest  devotion  of  their  souls,  were  not  naturally  enthusi- 
asts in  the  matter  of  religion;  nor  were  they  men  who  could 
be  deceived.  They  were  of  Puritan  ancestry  and  demanded 
the  conviction  of  their  reason  before  yielding  their  faith. 

That  reason  once  convinced,  they  were  men  of  such  exalted 
courage  that  they  dared  the  ridicule  of  the  pulpit  and  the 
anger  of  mobs,  to  voice  their  convictions  and  to  yield  their 
adherence  to  the  gospel.  The  witnesses  to  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, and  the  men  who  supported  Joseph  in  his  fulfillment  of 
the  divine  command  to  organize  the  Church  of  Christ  in  these 
last  days,  have  left  no  room  for  a  doubt  of  their  sincerity. 
Conservative  in  character,  thrifty  in  habits,  they  were  not  of 
a  class  who  would  venture  from  any  slight  motive  to  excite 
the  hatred  of  a  world  which  they  knew  would  deem  itself  out- 
raged by  their  avowal.  Each  one  of  them  knew  enough  of 
the  early  experiences  of  Joseph  to  feel  certain  that  he,  too, 
would  become  the  object  of  clerical  ridicule  and  the  vindic- 
tive persecution  of  the  masses,  incited  by  jealous  religious 
leaders.  At  every  step  since  Joseph's  encounter  with  the 
intolerant  spirit  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived,  he  had 
been  obliged  to  call  upon  the  Lord  to  aid  him  with  more  than 
mortal  courage,  to  meet  and  withstand  the  cruel  assaults  of 
his  enemies.  In  thus  joining  him,  the  witnesses  and  early 
members  of  the.  Church  provoked  the  hostility  already  raging 
against  him,  and  they  were  obliged  to  seek  the  same  source 
for  the  same  reinforcement  of  their  natural  strength,  moral 
and  physical. 

In  this  inception  of  the  work  its  character  was  defined  to 
a  marvelous  degree.  Joseph  himself,  and  much  less  his  com- 
panions, may  not  have  fully  understood  the  divine  simplicity  and 
sublime  comprehensiveness  of  the  organization  of  the  Church 
of  the  Lamb  of  God  which  he  was  commanded  to  effect  upon 
that  memorable  day;  but  their  minds  were  enlightened  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  and  by  the  gift  of  prophecy  they  were  inspired 
to  foretell  the  grandeur  of  the  results  that  would  be  accom- 
plished through  this  organization.  Standing  at  this  distance 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  79 

of  time  from  that  day,  the  observer  can  dearly  sec  how  beauti- 
fully adapted  it  is  for  the  purposes  for  which  it  is  designed. 
Suitable  in  the  beginning  for  the  government  of  a  Church 
of  six  members,  and  for  branches  of  the  Church  composed  of 
any  number  of  members,  experience  has  demonstrated  that  it 
is  capable  of  furnishing  heavenly  government  for  the  entire 
race  of  man.  Coming  from  Deity,  it  possesses  divine  perfec- 
tion and  admits  of  magnificent  and  infinite  expansion.  ~No 
officers  necessary  for  the  correct  government  of  the  Church 
and  for  the  growth  and  full  development  of  its  members  were 
omitted,  and  their  spheres  of  operation  and  labor  were  so  well 
denned  that,  while  they  retain  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  there 
can  be  no  conflict  or  even  friction  between  them.  Fully  recog- 
nizing the  free  agency  of  man,  the  Lord  designed  that  the  of- 
ficers should  derive  their  power  to  control,  and  the  system  its 
wonderful  elasticity  and  "strength,  from  the  cheerfully-yielded 
obedience  of  its  members.  In  this  way  the  requisite  authority 
to  govern,  the  power  to  enforce  and  maintain  order,  and  com- 
plete personal  freedom  are  harmoniously  blended  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Church  as  revealed  to  the  Prophet  Joseph. 

The  gospel,  as  revealed  in  part  and  promised  in  full  to 
him  at  that  early  day,  was  a  pure  and  simple  gift  to  all  men 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth  who  would  make  themselves  worthy. 
It  neither  contemplated  unrighteous  espionage  of  thought 
and  personal  action,  nor  unholy  servitude  or  worship  of  man 
by  man.  The  barbarity  of  power,  which  characterized  the 
apostate  churches  which  swayed  the  world  of  Christendom 
for  so  many  long  centuries,  did  not  exist  in  this  divine  plan 
for  the  salvation  of  the  human  race.  Such  gloomy  tenets  as 
infantile  damnation  or  accountability,  and  the  consigning  of 
the  soul  to  a  place  of  eternal  misery  and  torment  from  which 
there  could  be  110  deliverance  and  to  which  there  could  be  no 
alleviation,  embodied  in  the  systems  of  religion  which  were 
taught  and  vouched  for  by  their  teachers  as  divine,  were  absent 
from  this  simple  gospel.  At  the  time  of  the  organization  of 
His  Church,  God  made  known  His  gospel  in  all  the  simplicity 
and  fullness  of  truth,  sublime  and  symmetrical  as  taught  by 
the  Redeemer,  not  as  it  had  been  perverted  for  ages.  All  the 


80  .  JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET. 

dark  and  cruel  mysteries  which  had  enshrouded  so-called 
religion  were  swept  away.  Joseph  had  learned  by  most  glo- 
rious and  satisfactory  experience  that  it  was  possible  for  man 
to  approach  and  know  God  for  himself.  He  taught  his  fel- 
lows that  this  is  the  true  foundation  of  the  gospel  of  salvation; 
that  it  is  every  human  being's  privilege  to  lift  his  eyes  to  God, 
to  obtain  revelation  and  every  good  gift  from  Him  through 
obedience  to  His  laws.  Who  can  measure  the  great  blossom- 
ing of  human  character  which  has  already  appeared,  and  the 
rich  fruitage  which  the  coming  generations  will  yet  yield 
through  the  enforcement  of  this  grand  truth?  One  of  the 
accusations  brought  against  the  Savior,  and  for  which  His 
enemies  sought  to  stone  Him,  was  that  He,  being  a  man,  made 
Himself  equal  with  God.  To  a  generation  such  as  they,  from 
whom  God  was  so  far  removed  that  all  communication  between 
them  had  ceased,  such  a  relationship  between  man  and  the 
great  Creator,  as  the  Lord  Jesus  taught  as  existing,  was 
offensive  and  blasphemous.  It  was  this  elevating  and  enno- 
bling truth  that  the  Prophet  Joseph  taught  to  the  world.  He 
taught  a  gospel  of  man's  worship  to  God,  and  not  man's  serv- 
itude to  his  fellow.  One  of  its  grand  principles  is  that  each 
soul  must  be  accountable  to  its  Creator  for  its  deeds;  and  no 
person  who  has  not  reached  the  years  of  individual  accounta- 
bility is  condemned  for  the  non-performance  of  ceremonies 
or  ordinances  which  he  can  neither  understand  nor  attend  to. 
Infants  are,  all  saved  in  Christ;  and  need  no  penance,  no 
baptism,  no  church  membership.  But  a  man  who  has  heard 
the  word  of  God  is  personally  responsible  for  his  own  life  and 
must  bear  the  consequences  of  its  rejection  in  his  own 
person. 

The  full  recognition  of  God's  authority  as  bestowed  by 
Him  and  man's  equality  with  his  fellow-man  constitute  the 
vitality  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  But  Satan  prompts  man  to 
establish  creeds  of  man-worship,  in  which  priestcraft,  as 
opposed  to  priesthood,  prevails.  He  appeals  to  the  avarice  and 
ambition  of  men  and  divides  society  into  classes,  making 
worldly  learning,  the  possession  of  wealth,  and  the  "accident 
of  birth,"  the  distinctions  which  command  respect  and  honor.. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  81 

The  theology  of  tin*  churches,  which  flourished  in  the  region 
where  Joseph  dwelt  from  boyhood  to  maturity,  flowed 
from  tin'  muddy  stream.  But  he  was  not  influenced  by 
it.  Through  the  revelations  of  Jesus,  the  theology  which 
he  was  inspired  to  teach  was  utterly  unlike  any  system  taught 
hy  man. 

Instead  of  being  lifted  up  by  the  favor  which  had  been 
shown  to  him,  Joseph  was  made  to  feel  his  own  weaknesses. 
Chosen  to  be  a  prophet  and  the  leader  of  God's  people,  he  was 
conscious  that  he  was  only  human,  subject  to  human  tempta- 
tions and  human  frailties.  Having  the  honesty  and  courage 
inspired  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  he  dared  to  confess  this 
openly;  and,  under  the  same  inspiration,  acknowledge  his 
transgression  and  make  his  contrition  known.  He  was  not 
above  any  law  which  applied  to  his  fellow-man.  Of  his  respon- 
sibility to  God  and  his  brethren  of  the  Church,  he  was  re- 
quired by  the  law  revealed  through  himself  to  the  Church,  to 
give  as  strict  an  account  as  any  other  member.  They  who  par- 
ticipated with  him  in  authority  owed  it  not  to  him  as  an  indi- 
vidual, but  to  the  eternal  power  to  which  they  were  alike 
responsible. 

Tlie  grandeur  of  Joseph's  character  is  most  shown  in 
his  lack  of  pretension.  Christ  declared  Himself  the  head  of 
the  Church;  and  though  Joseph  was  to  be  our  Savior's  repre- 
sentative here  on  earth,  he  exacted  no  homage  from  his  fellow- 
believers,  but  only  such  respect  as  the  gospel  required  them  to 
pay.  The  thought  of  gaining  glory  for  himself  appears  never 
to  have  entered  his  mind.  His  conduct  in  the  beginning,  in 
execution  of  the  requirements  of  the  Lord,  was  but  a  type  of 
his  whole  life.  The  commands  of  God  came  through  him  to 
earth,  and  he  gave  them  voice  firmly  and  fearlessly.  Speak- 
ing as  a  prophet  of  God  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit,  he 
brooked  no  opposition ;  but  in  his  personal  relations  with  his 
fellow- Apostles  and  Elders  he  gave  them,  according  to  their 
station  and  their  deserts,  as  much  deference  as  he  asked,  or 
was  willing  to  receive  for  himself.  This  characteristic  gave 
him  power  in  the  beginning.  Only  he  who  knows  how  to 
obey  is  worthy  to  command;  only  he  who  yields  to  others 


82  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

their  due  can  expect  compliance  with  his  own  order,  however 
lawful  it  may  be. 

From  this  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Church,  the 
revelations  of  God  have  come  constantly,  through  Christ's 
chosen  representative,  to  guide,  to  instruct,  to  admonish  and 
to  warn  the  people;  and  from  this  source  the  body  of  the 
Saints  has  received  its  daily  life. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE    ALL-COMPREHENDING    CHARACTER  OF  JOSEPH'S    INSPIRATION — 
FIRST  PUBLIC    MEETING  OF  THE  CHURCH    AFTER    ORGANIZATION 

BELIEVERS    ASKING   BAPTISM MOBS    SEEKING   THE    LIFE    OR 

THE     LIBERTY     OF     THE      PROPHET TWICE      ARRESTED     AND 

ACQUITTED — JOSEPH'S  LAWYER  HEARS  A  MYSTERIOUS    VOICE 

COPYING  THE  REVELATIONS. 

JOSEPH  saw  his  mission  now  in  its  full  significance.  The 
instructio-n  which  came  to  him  when  he  first  prayed  in  the 
woods  at  Manchester  did  not  mean  that  he  alone  should  find 
salvation  outside  of  the  creeds  of  man ;  but  that  the  error  of 
the  ages  was  to  be  overthrown  by  the  hand  of  God,  and  the 
way  opened  for  the  redemption  of  a  race. 

The  organization  of  the  Church,  therefore,  meant  that 
the  chief  Apostle  of  Christ  in  this  last  dispensation  should 
take  upon  himself  the  cross  and  bear  it  through  life.  The 
people  must  be  edified  and  perfected,  and  the  Gospel  must  be 
extended  freely  to  the  acceptance  or  rejection  of  all  nations, 
kindreds,  tongues  and  people. 

Joseph  knew  now  that  through  prayer  to  Heaven  he 
must  seek  stores  of  wisdom  for  his  own  guidance  and  for  the 
secure  establishment  and  the  perfect  government  of  the  Church 
of  our  Lord  and  Savior.  He  was  not  obliged  to  search  the 
worldly  records  of  the  past  for  knowledge  and  inspiration. 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  83 

If  at  this  hour,  all  the  histories  of  earthly  governments  and 
religious  organizations,  with  the  books  of  philosophy  and 
moral  truths — accepted  by  the  world,  had  been  blotted  out, 
Joseph  Smith  and  his  mission  of  enlightenment  would  have 
abated  not  one  tittle  of -their  power  and  significance.  The 
light  of  God's  all-comprehending  wisdom  was  shining  upon 
tin1  Prophet's  soul. 

The  first  public  meeting  of  the  Church  after  the  day  of 
its  organization  was  held  at  the  house  of  Peter  Whitmer  in 
Fayette,  on  the  llth  day  of  April,  1830.  On  that  occasion 
Oliver  Cowdery,  under  Joseph's  direction,  proclaimed  the 
word  of  God  for  the  comfort  and  instruction  of  Saints  and 
strangers.  The  appointment  for  this  meeting  had  gone  forth 
through  all  the  neighborhood;  and  iriany  persons  came  to 
hear  what  wonderful  things  were  to  be  spoken  by  the  men 
who  professed  to  be  called  directly  of  God  to  the  ministry. 
This  was  the  first  public  discourse  delivered  by  an  authorized 
servant  of  God  in  these  last  days.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
services  a  number  of  persons  demanded  baptism  and  member- 
ship among  the  people  of  God.  They  professed  to  have  faith 
in  Christ,  avowed  their  penitence  for  all  evil  done  by  them, 
and  asked  to  be  baptized  that  they  might  obtain  the  remission 
of  their  sins.  The  ordinance  was  administered  to  such  as 
were  worthy. 

Following  this  meeting,  which  gave  him  joy  and  called 
forth  praise  from  his  heart  to  Heaven,  Joseph  journeyed  to 
Colesville,  the  home  of  the  kindly  Mr.  Knight  whose  bounty 
had  been  extended  to  the  Prophet  and  to  Oliver  in  an  hour  of 
need.  Joseph  desired  to  make  known  to  the  family  of  Knight 
all  that  God  had  spoken  in  way  of  command  and  promise. 
Mr.  Knight  and  several  members  of  his  family  were  Universal- 
ists.  They  were  firm  in  their  conviction,  but  were  glad  to 
listen  to  the  message  delivered  by  Joseph.  It  was  a  plain  state- 
ment; for  Joseph  made  no  attempt  to  lend  earthly  adornments 
to  the  pure  word  of  Christ.  Joseph  Knight  listened  and 
then  argued  with  the  Prophet.  But  he  was  deeply  impressed 
and  -solicited  Joseph  to  hold  meetings,  in  which  the  public 
might  hear  the  young  Apostle  and  have  opportunity  to  judge 


84  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

of  the  doctrines  which  he  avowed.  Newell,  a  son  of  Joseph 
Knight,  became  much  interested  in  the  Prophet's  words. 
Many  serious  conversations  ensued,  and  Newell  became  so  far 
convinced  of  the  divinity  of  the  work  that  he  gave  a  partial 
promise  that  he  would  arise  in  meeting  and  offer  supplication 
to  God  before  his  friends  and  neighbors.  But  at  the  appointed 
moment  he  failed  to  respond  to  Joseph's  invitation.  Later  he 
told  the  Prophet  he  would  pray  in  secret,  and  thus  seek  to 
resolve  his  doubts  and  gain  strength.  On  the  day  following, 
Newell  went  into  the  woods  to  offer  his  devotions  to  Heaven; 
but  was  unable  to  give  utterance  to  his  feelings,  being  held  in 
bondage  by  some  power  which  he  could  not  define.  He 
returned  to  his  home  ill  in  body  and  depressed  in  mind.  His 
appearance-  alarmed  his  wife,  and  in  a  broken  voice  he 
requested  her  to  quickly  find  the  Prophet  and  bring  him  to 
his  bedside.  "When  Joseph  arrived  at  the  house,  Newell  was 
suffering  most  frightful  distortions  of  his  visage  and  limbs,  as 
if  he  were  in  convulsions.  Even  as  the  Prophet  gazed  at  him 
Newell  was  seized  upon  by  some  mysterious  influence  and 
tossed  helpless  about  the  room.  Through  the  gift  of  discern- 
ment Joseph  saw  that  his  friend  was  in  the  grasp  of  the  evil 
one,  and  that  only  the  power  of  God  could  save  him  from  the 
tortures  under  which  he  was  suffering.  He  took  Newell' s 
hand  and  gently  addressed  him.  Newell  replied,  "I  am  pos- 
sessed of  a  devil.  Exert  your  authority,  I  beseech  you,  to 
cast  him  out."  Joseph  replied,  "If  you  know  that  I  have 
power  to  drive  him  from  your  soul,  it  shall  be  done."  And 
when  these  words  were  uttered,  Joseph  rebuked  the  Destroyer 
and  commanded  him  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  depart. 
The  Lord  condescended  to  honor  His  servant  in  thus  exercising 
the  power  which  belonged  to  his  Priesthood  and  calling,  for 
instantly  Newell  cried  out  with  joy  that  he  felt  the  accursed 
influence  leave  him  and  saw  the  evil  spirit  passing  from  the 
room. 

Thus  was  performed  the  first  miracle  of  the  Church. 
Many  people  were  present  and  witnessed  it,  and  when  they 
would  have  ascribed  to  Joseph  honor  and  praise,  he  checked 
them,  saying: 


JOSEPH    THE    run  I'll  ET.  85 

"  It  was  not  done  by  man,  nor  by  the  power  of  man,  but 
was  done  by  God  and  the  power  of  His  godliness;  therefore 
let  the  honor  and  the  praise  and  the  dominion  and  the  glory 
be  ascribed  to  the  Father,  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Spirit  for 
ever  and  ever." 

Since  that  hour  thousands  of  miracles  have  been  performed 
by  the  Elders  of  the  Church,  through  the  power  of  the  Priest- 
hood restored  from  Heaven  and  in  fulfillment  of  the  promises 
made  by  the  Lord  Jesus.  But  those  who  have  been  honored 
in  performing  them  have  not  administered  unto  their  fellow- 
men  to  gratify  any  wish  to  behold  a  miracle — a  sign  sought 
for  by  a  wicked  and  adulterous  generation;  but  to  comply 
with  the  command  of  the  Lord  in  administering  an  ordinance 
designed  for  the  healing  of  the  faithful  sick  and  to  comfort 
them  and  strengthen  them  in  their  faith. 

Newell  Knight  believed  and  was  made  whole.  He 
became  enrapt  in  contemplation  of  the  goodness  of  God,  and 
the  visions  of  eternity  were  opened  to  his  view.  He  saw 
such  a  world  of  glory  that  he  lost  his  sense  of  earthly  things. 
His  physical  being  participated  in  the  exaltation,  and  while 
his  spirit  soared  beyond  the  narrow  confines  of  his  earthly 
house,  his  body  was  caught  up  and  suspended  in  the  air. 
When  the  vision  passed  he  sank,  weak  but  happy,  to  the  floor. 
So  much  was  he  overcome  that  it  was  necessary  to  carry  him 
to  his  bed,  and  leave  him  to  some  hours  of  repose. 

Of  the  many  persons  who  witnessed  these  events  nearly 
all  subsequently  became  members  of  the  Church. 

When  Joseph  had  completed  a  brief  ministry  among  the 
people  in  that  region  he  returned  to  Fayette,  and  found  that 
much  excitement  prevailed  there  because  ot  the  coming  forth 
of  the  word  of  God.  "  The  Book  of  Mormon  was  accounted 
as  a  strange  thing;"  and  persecution  was  heaped  upon  the 
adherents  of  the  Church,  and  all  who  would  entertain  friendly 
relations  with  them. 

The  first  appointed  conference  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  this  dispensation  was  held  at  Fayette  on  the  1st  day 
of  June,  1830.  Thirty  members  were  present  on  the  opening 
day;  and  scores  of  people  were  there  who  already  believed, 


00  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

or  came  with  the  desire  to  hear  the  principles  taught  by  Joseph 
Smith.  The  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper  was  administered 
to  all  the  members  of  the  Church  in  conference  assembled;  and 
the  faith  of  the  congregation  was  so  mighty  that  the  Heavens 
were  opened  to  their  view,  and  many  beheld  the  glory  of  the 
celestial  kingdom.  JSTewell  Knight  was  one  of  the  believers 
present,  and  he  saw,  through  the  parted  veil  of  eternity,  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on 
high.  Prophetic  vision  flooded  his  soul  with  light,  and  he 
saw  the  mighty  work  of  the  dispensation  carried  to  its  fulfill- 
ment; he  saw  Joseph  Smith  laboring,  as  the  instrument  of 
God's  choice,  to  redeem  man  and  lead  him  back  to  the  presence 
of  his  Creator.  The  effect  of  these  visions  upon  Newell 
Knight  and  the  others  who  beheld  them,  was  to  deprive  them 
of  their  natural  strength,  and  they  were  carried  to  couches, 
upon  which  they  rested  for  a  brief  time.  When  their  strength 
was  restored  they  arose  and  shouted,  "  Hosannah,  to  God  and 
the  Lamb!"  and  then,  to  the  wonder  and  joy  of  all  who  heard 
them,  they  rehearsed  the  glories  which  they  had  beheld. 

Many  baptisms  followed.  Those  of  the  brethren  who 
were  most  suitable  were  ordained  to  the  ministry,  and  received 
instantly  the  spirit  of  their  holy  calling.  Joseph  returned  to 
his  own  home,  at  Harmony.  Later,  accompanied  by  his  wife 
and  three  of  the  Elders,  he  went  again  to  Colesville.  Here 
they  found  many  people  awaiting  baptism.  Joseph  prepared 
to  accede  to  their  demand.  A  suitable  portion  of  a  little 
stream  in  that  locality  was  prepared  for  the  purpose  of  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  ordinance;  but  in  the  night  sectarian  priests, 
fearful. of  losing  their  congregations  and  their  hire,  instigated 
evil  men  to  desecrate  the  spot  and  to  destroy  all  the  prepara- 
tions of  the  Elders.  But  the  candidates  for  baptism  remained 
faithful,  and  were  confirmed  in  their  belief  by  this  sign  flow- 
ing from  the  hatred  of  the  ungodly;  arid  a  few  days  later  the 
ordinance  was  administered  by  Oliver  Cowdery  to  thirteen 
persons  at  Colesville.  Among  them  was  Emma,  the  Prophet's 
wife,  who  believed  and  humbly  went  forth  to  perform  the 
requirement  of  Heaven.  The  joy  of  Joseph  when  he  wel- 
comed his  wife  into  the  Church  was  unspeakable. 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  87 

While  the  baptisms  were  in  progress  an  angry  mob  col- 
lected, and  threatened  destruction  to  the  Elders  and  believers. 
The  mob  surrounded  the  houses  of  Joseph  Knight  and  his 
son  Newell  and  railed  with  devilish  hatred  at  the  inmates. 
The  Prophet  spoke  to  them  and  made  an  effort  to  calm  their 
passion,  but  without  avail.  Wearied  with  their  own  impotent 
wruth,  the  mobs  departed;  but  only  to  concoct  new  plots. 

That  night  a  meeting  was  to  be  held,  and  when  the  believ- 
ers and  sympathizers  had  assembled,  and  Joseph  was  about  to 
offer  them  instruction  and  consolation,  a  constable  approached 
and  arrested  him  on  a  warrant  charging  him  with  being  a  dis- 
orderly person,  for  setting  the  country  in  an  uproar  by  circu- 
lating the  Book  of  Mormon  and  by  preaching,  a  gospel  of 
revelation.  The  officer  was  a  kind  man,  and  some  time  after 
the  formal  arrest  he  stated  to  Joseph  that  the  object  of  the 
warrant  was  to  place  the  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  mob 
who  were  determined  to  destroy  him.  These  words  were 
verified  immediately  after;  because  when  the  constable  was 
taking  Joseph  away  from  Mr.  Knight's  house  in  a  wagon,  they 
found  the  mob  in  ambush  awaiting  the  appearance  of  the 
Prophet,  and  ready  to  act  murderously  upon  a  signal  from  the 
constable,  whom  they  vainly  believed  was  in  sympathy  with 
them.  The  baffled  mob,  more  enraged  than  ever,  pursued  the 
wagon  a  considerable  distance,  but  Avere  unable  to  overtake  it; 
and  the  constable  soon  reached  South  Bainbridge,  in  Chenango 
County,  with  his  prisoner.  The  hour  was  late  and  they  went 
to  an  inn,  where  they  were  lodged  in  an  upper  room.  Joseph 
occupied  a  bed  and  slept  peacefully,  after  communing  silently, 
with  his  Maker.  The  officer  threw  his  body  across  the  entrance 
to  the  room,  and  slumbered  lightly.  He  held  a  loaded  musket 
in  his  hands  ready  to. defend  his  prisoner  from  unlawful  assault. 

The  next  day  was  a  time  of  intense  excitement.  A.  court 
was  convened  to  consider  the  strange  charges  brought  against 
the  young  man,  Joseph  Smith;  and  hateful  lies,  of  every  form 
which  the  father  of  falsehood  could  devise,  were  circulated  to 
create  popular  dislike.  But  Joseph  Knight  appeared  at  the 
court  with  two  of  his  neighbors,  James  Davidson  and  John 
Reid,  outspoken  men,  learned  in  the  law  and  standing  high  in 


00  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

public  esteem,  who  were  to  appear  on  behalf  of  the  Prophet. 
The  bitter  feeling  of  endangered  priestcraft  was  visible  through- 
out the  trial;  but  all  the  accusations  which  were  made  were 
but  lies,  and  none  were  sustained.  The  court  declared  an 
acquittal.  The  evidence  in  the  trial  was  a  high  tribute  to  the 
character  of  Joseph  Smith.  Evidently  preparations  had  been 
made  to  deal  his  influence  a  fatal  blow ;  and  people  were 
brought  from  great  distances  who  knew  him  intimately  as  a 
boy  and  as  a  young  man.  It  was  hoped  by  the  inciters  of  the 
outrage  that  these  former  neighbors  of  Joseph  would  heed  the 
public  clamor  against  him  and  testify  that  his  nature  was  evil. 
But  on  the  contrary,  all  these  witnesses  declared  that  in  all 
their  intercourse  with  the  Prophet,  his  life  had  been  above  re- 
proach. 

Unheeding  this  emphatic  demonstration  in  Joseph's  be- 
half, his  enemies  determined  that  they  would  not  withhold 
their  hands.  They  declared  that  he  had  committed  other 
offenses  in  Broome  County,  and  they  must  have  a  warrant  for 
him  in  the  interest  of  the  public  weal.  This  paper  was  secured 
on  the  oath  of  a  sectarian  bigot;  and  no  sooner  was  Joseph 
acquitted  by  the  court  in  Chenango  County,  than  he  was 
seized  under  the  new  warrant  and  dragged  back  to  Colesville. 
The  officer  in  charge  this  time  was  a  sympathizer  with  the 
mob.  He  refused  food  to  his  prisoner  and  refused  to  allow 
him  to  call  at  the  houses  of  his  friends,  or  to  see  his  wife.  This 
constable  carried  him  to  a  tavern,  and  then  invited  a  number 
of  persons  to  unite  in  abuse  and  ridicule  of  the  Prophet.  The 
rabble  jeered  and  spat  upon  their  victim.  They  pointed  their 
fingers  at  him,  crying,  "Prophesy!  Prophesy!''  Joseph 
offered  security  for  his  appearance  on  the  following  day,  and 
asked  to  be  released;  but  the  officer  would  not  consent.  The 
only  favor  which  he  would  grant  to  Joseph  was  to  bring  to  him 
a  cup  of  water  and  a  crust  of  bread. 

When  the  morning  came,  Joseph  was  arraigned  before 
the  magistrate's  court  of  Colesville.  Arrayed  against  him 
were  some  of  the  people  who  had  been  discomfited  at  the  trial 
in  Chenango  County.  This  time  they  were  determined  to  se- 
cure a  conviction.  By  the  side  of  the  Prophet  were  his  friends 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  89 

and  advocates  who  had  aided  him  in  the  former  trial.  Despite 
the  vindictive  effort  of  the  mob,  the  court  discharged  tin- 
Prophet,  declaring  that  nothing  was  shown  to  his  dishonor. 
Kvi-n  the  cruel  constable  who  had  abused  his  little  authority 
to  make  Joseph's  lot  more  miserable,  became  convinced  of  the 
fii tire  innocence  of  his  charge;  and  he  besought  the  forgive- 
ness of  his  former  prisoner.  He  gave  information  to  Joseph 
that  a  plot  was  in  progress  to  secure  his  person. 

The  inciters  of  these  outrages  were  two  prominent  Pres- 
byterians of  that  region — Cyrus  McMaster  and  one  Dr.  Boy- 
ington.  The  creature  whom  they  secured  to  make  oath 
against  Joseph  was  also  a  Presbyterian ;  his  name  was  Benton. 

The  honest  and  courageous  man  John  Reid,  who  success- 
fully defended  the  Prophet  before  the  courts,  himself  has  testi- 
fied to  the  remarkable  manner  in  which  he  was  engaged  in  the 
case.  A  messenger  came  to  his  house  and  requested  him  to 
appear  before  the  magistrate  on  behalf  of  Joseph  Smith.  Mr. 
Reid  was  busy  at  the  time ;  he  had  never  seen  the  young  man 
Joseph  Smith;  and  he  determined  not  to  enter  the  case.  But 
before  he  could  decline  aloud,  a  low,  strange  voice  uttered 
these  words:  "You  MUST  GO  TO  DELIVER  THE  LORD'S 
ANOINTED!"  He  was  thrilled  with  awe  at  the  mysterious 
sound.  He  knew  that  the  messenger  had  not  spoken;  and 
upon  inquiry  Mr.  Reid  learned  that  the  voice  had  been  to  him- 
self alone.  The  impression  caused  by  this  experience  was 
such  that  Mr.  Reid  hastened  to  the  place  of  trial.  While  he 
was  engaged  in  the  case  his  mysterious  emotion  increased; 
and  when  he  arose  to  defend  the  Prophet  in  argument,  he  was 
inspired  to  an  eloquence  beyond  himself,  and  which  was  irre- 
sistible.* 

When  Joseph  was  freed  from  custody  after  the  second 
trial,  the  constable  extended  his  aid;  and  thus  the  Prophet 
was  enabled  to  escape  while  his  enemies  were  organizing  un- 
lawfully to  get  him  into  their  clutches.  Joseph  had  been  two 


*  It  is  worthy  of  notice  here  that  Hon.  Amos  Reid,  who,  in  early  days,  was  secre- 
tary and,  part  of  the  time,  acting  Governor  of  Utah  Territory,  was  the  son  of  this 
honest  man,  John  Reid,  and  always  referred  with  pleasure  and  pride  to  the  part  his 
father  took  in  behalf  of  the  Prophet  on  these  occasions. 


90  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

days  without  food;  and  when  released,  his  friends  told  him 
that  he  must  flee  at  once,  for  the  mob  had  organized  and  was 
determined.  Night  had  already  come;  and  he  traveled  until 
daylight  the  next  morning,  when  he  reached  a  place  of  safety 
at  the  house  of  an  acquaintance  many  miles  distant  from  Coles- 
ville.  Here  he  found  Emma,  and  they  journeyed  to  Harmony 
without  further  molestation.  But  a  few  days  later,  when  he 
returned  to  Colesville  to  confirm  the  persons  who  had  been 
baptized,  the  mob  assailed  him  with  greater  violence  then  ever 
before ;  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  his  friends  aided  him  to 
preserve  his  life  from  the  attacks  of  the  sectarian  priests 
through  their  bigoted  followers. 

Upon  returning  once  more  to  Harmony  after  this  last 
visit  to  Colesville,  the  Prophet  engaged  in  the  labor  of  making 
a  record  in  proper  order  of  the  revelations  which  had  come  to 
him  from  the  Lord.  In  this  work  he  was  aided, for  a  time  by 
Oliver  Cowdery;  but  later  Oliver  went  to  Fayette,  and  Emma, 
under  commandment  of  the  Lord,  once  more  served  her  hus- 
band as  a  scribe. 

While  Joseph  was  thus  laboring  in  Pennsylvania,  Parley 
P.  Pratt  visited  Fayette  to  learn  something  of  the  young 
Prophet.  Not  finding  Joseph,  the  seeker  after  truth  made 
his  investigations  alone.  He  became  convinced  that  he  had 
found  the  gospel ;  and  he  asked  and  received  baptism  at  the 
hands  of  Oliver  Cowdery  in  Seneca  Lake. 

This  was  a  momentous  event. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

DISSENSIONS     WITHIN     THE     FOLD OLIVER     COWDERY     AND     HIRAM 

PAGE  LEAD  THE  WHITMERS  ASTRAY MOBS  AT  COLESVILLE  AND 

PERSECUTION    AT    HARMONY ISAAC     HALE     AND     HIS     FAMILY 

OPPOSE    JOSEPH THE    PROPHET    REMOVES    TO    FAYETTE PRO- 
PHETIC OUTLINE  OF  THE  GATHERING. 

THE  peaceful  and  blessed  hours  which  the  Prophet  had  hoped 
to  enjoy  in  the  performance  of  his  holy  work  at  his  home  in 
Harmony,  were  quickly  intruded  upon.  Satan  had  been  able 
already  to  excite  Joseph's  enemies  to  a  frenzy,  and  to  make 
the  conversion  of  even  honest  inquirers  difficult,  and  in  many 
cases  impossible.  ISTot  satisfied  with  this,  the  evil  one  stirred 
up  the  hearts  of  some  of  Joseph's  friends  and  associates  to 
feelings  of  jealous  vanity  and  fear. 

Oliver  Cowdery,  at  Fayette,  was  the  first  victim  within 
the  fold  of  the  assaults  of  the  adversary.  While  the  Prophet, 
aided  by  his  wife,  was  transcribing  the  revelations,  he  received 
a  startling  letter,  couched  in  stern  and  disrespectful  terms, 
addressed  to  him  by  Oliver  from  Fayette.  The  letter  demanded 
that  Joseph  should  erase  certain  words  from  one  of  the  com- 
mandments given  by  God  to  the  Church,  alleging  that  they 
had  been  incorrectly  written.  The  Prophet  was  shocked  and 
grieved,  because  he  saw  therein  the  snare  which  Satan  had  set 
for  the  feet  of  some  of  the  flock  of  Christ.  He  knew,  too, 
how  prone  Oliver  was  to  be  lifted  up  in  the  pride  of  his  heart; 
and  he  saw  in  this  a  concession  to  evil  by  Oliver  which  must 
soon  be  checked  and  withdrawn,  or  Oliver,  and  those  who 
had  sympathy  for  him,  would  soon  be  cast  out.  Joseph  wrote 
a  letter,  full  of  loving  admonition,  and  yet  rebuking  firmly  the 
error  to  which  Oliver  was  yielding.  Joseph  informed  him 
that  the  revelation  had  been  correctly  written — it  was  the  com- 
mand of  God,  and  no  man  had  authority  to  take  from  it  a 
single  word. 


92  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

Joseph  soon  followed  his  letter  and  visited  his  associates 
at  Fayette.  He  found  there  a  most  deplorable  state  of  affairs. 
Oliver  Cowdery  had  yielded  to  the  power  of  darkness.  In 
the  vanity  of  his  heart  he  had  set  himself  up  against  the 
Prophet  of  the  Lord,  and  by  skillful  persuasion  and  flattery, 
had  succeeded  in  winning  the  Whitmers  to  a  belief  in  his 
views.  Joseph  felt  that  they  were  hardened  toward  him, 
and  that  the  spirit  which  possessed  them  must  at  once  be  sub- 
dued and  cast  out,  else  they  would  be  lost  to  the  cause  of 
Christ.  He  prayed  for  help,  .and  labored  earnestly  and  lov- 
ingly to  show  to  Oliver  and  the  others  the  error  of  their  way. 
None  of  them  at  first  would  listen  to  his  words.  The  influ- 
ence which  possessed  them  was  perfectly  aware  that  if  they 
gave  attention  to  Joseph's  words  they  would  sopn  discover  their 
mistake;  and  it  encouraged  in  them  an  obstinate  and  hateful 
feeling.  After  some  time  Christian  Whitmer  became  con- 
vinced of  their  error.  He  saw  the  abyss  into  which  the  arch- 
enemy had  endeavored  to  drag  him;  and  he  joined  with  Jos- 
eph in  supplication  to  the  Lord  that  his  father  and  brothers 
and  Oliver  Cowdery  might  be  turned  aside  from  their  evil 
course,  and  brought  back  into  the  right  way.  One  by  one 
they  yielded  to  the  voice  of  truth,  and  finally  all — including 
Oliver  Cowdery — confessed  that  they  had  been  misled  by 
Satan,  and  that  they  knew  the  Lord's  words  were  not  within 
the  power  of  man  to  enlarge  or  diminish. 

Thus,  promptly  met,  was  an  error  rooted  out.  If 
unchecked  it  would  have  led  away  some  of  those  to  whom 
angels  had  administered.  This  showed  to  Joseph  and 
to  all  who  were  with  him  that  constant  vigilance  was 
necessary  to  protect  even  the  best  from  the  devices  of  the 
evil  one.  They  saw  that  it  was  against  the  elect  that  Satan 
directed  his  strongest  efforts;  and  that,  when  blinded  by  his 
temptations,  they  were  unable  to  see  the  way  of  righteousness 
from  which  they  were  departing  or  the  mire  of  wickedness 
into  which  he  was  leading  their  feet.  For  some  of  them  the 
lesson  was  long  effective ;  but  with  others  it  was  of  but  tem- 
porary avail.  These  latter  seemed  unable  to  long  restrain 
their  own  eager  ambition  and  vanity,  or  to  close  their  ears 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 


93 


t<»  the  tempting  whispers  of  the  adversary,  who  constantly 
plotted  their  downfall. 

While  Joseph  was  laboring  in  Fayette  to  restore  pea<-e 
to  liis  hrethren  and  prosperity  to  the  cause,  the  sectarian 
preachers  were  stirring  up  the  minds  of  the  people  at 
Harmony  to  think  and  act  evilly  toward  the  Prophet  and 
his  work.  As  soon  as  .Joseph  went  hack  to  his  home  he  found 
that  some  persons  who  had  been  his  friends  now  spoke  and 
bore  themselves  coldly  toward  him.  A  Methodist  minister  in 
the  neighborhood,  taking  advantage  of  Joseph's  absence,  had 
spoken  all  manner  of  evil  things  concerning  him,  and  had 
succeeded  in  making  the  people  distrust  the  Prophet  and  the 
work  of  God.  Isaac  Hale  and  his  family  were  thus  led  awav. 
When  Joseph  had  left  them  to  go  to  Fayette,  they  were  filled 
with  kindness  toward  him  and  his  wife.  They  promised  and 
accorded  him  protection  and  help;  and  they  were  examin- 
ing the  principles  of  the  gospel  so  earnestly  that  Joseph 
hoped  soon  to  welcome  his  wife's  family  into  the  fold. 
But  the  Methodist  minister,  who  was  influential  with  Isaac 
Hale,  had  whispered  such  untruths  concerning  the  absent 
Prophet,  and  Satan  had  worked  so  effectively  to  blind  the 
eyes  and  becloud  the  understanding  of  the  people  of  Har- 
mony, that  nearly  all  were  ready  in  persecution  against  Jos- 
eph. Isaac  Hale  .and  his  family  were  turned  from  the  work, 
and  became  from  that  hour  its  bitter  opponents. 

But  Joseph  must  not  falter  in  his  labor.  The  branch  ot 
the  Church  at  Colesville  was  also  suffering  persecution;  and 
the  Prophet  had  to  forget  for  the  time  all  his  personal  afflic- 
tions. In  the  latter  part  of  August,  1830,  he  called  to  his 
company  John  Whitmer,  David  Whitmer  and  Hyrum  Smith, 
and  went  to  comfort  and  instruct  Joseph  Knight  and  those 
who  were  associated  with  him.  Such  fierce  threats  had  been 
uttered  by  the  mobocrats  who  sympathized  with  the  Presbv- 
terian  ministers,  that  Joseph  and  his  brethren  felt  that  idiey 
were  risking  their  lives  in  thus  journeying  to  Colesville.  They 
joined  together  in  mighty  prayer,  beseeching  God  that  He 
would  blind  the  eyes  of  their  enemies,  and  permit  them  to 
go  and  come  without  recognition  by  the  wicked.  The  Pro- 


94  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

phet  informed  his  companions  that  their  prayer  would  be 
answered,  and  the  angel  of  the  Lord  would  protect  them  and 
cover  with  a  veil  the  vision  of  the  murderous  mob.  They 
made  no  effort  to  disguise  themselves,  but  traveled  through 
Colesville  to  the  house  of  Joseph  Knight  in  broad  day,  meet- 
ing a  score  of  their  persecutors.  A  reward  had  been  offered  to 
anyone  who  would  give  information  of  Joseph's  return;  and 
among  those  whom  they  met  were  many  who  would  gladly 
have  earned  the  money,  even  at  the  expense  of  the  Prophet's 
life.  But  no  one  said  a  harsh  word  to  Joseph  and  his  com- 
panions, and  they  were  treated  merely  as  ordinary  strangers 
passing  through  the  village.  A  meeting  of  the  branch  was 
held  that  night,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  was  poured  out  upon 
the  believers  in  rich  abundance.  They  were  all  made  firm  by 
the  blessing  given,  and  filled  with  a  determination  to  yield 
nothing  of  their  faith,  though  the  anger  of  the  wicked 
should  be  visited  upon  them  through  robbery  or  even 
death. 

The  next  morning  Joseph  and  his  party  started  back  to 
Harmony.  A  few  hours  after  they  were  gone  a  howling  mob 
descended  upon  the  house  of  Joseph  Knight  and  demanded 
the  persons  of  the  Prophet  and  his  companions — swearing  to 
visit  vengeance  in  case  of  a  refusal.  This  mob  was  composed 
of  some  of  the  persons  who  had  been  incited  by  sectarian 
ministers  on  other  occasions  to  offer  violence  to  the  Prophet. 
This  time  they  were  more  fierce  than  ever  before.  All  day 
long  they  surged  around  the  houses  of  Joseph  Knight  and  his 
son  Newell,  cursing  and  threatening.  Nothing  apparently 
would  appease  them,  until,  exhausted  by  their  own  evil  pas- 
sions, they  were  forced  to  disperse. 

The  situation  in  Pennsylvania  was  not  improved;  and 
soon  it  became  apparent  that  the  Prophet  could  not  work  in 
the  vicinity  of  Harmony  with  any  degree  of  vigor  and  free- 
dom. Persecution  flourished  on  every  side.  But  while  the 
Prophet  was  suffering  all  this  in  body  and  in  spirit,  a  mes- 
senger brought  an  invitation  from  Peter  Whitmer,  asking 
Joseph  once  more  to  come  to  Fayette  and  establish  his  home. 
The  peace  of  the  Holy  Spirit  had  filled  the  hearts  of  the 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  95 

brethren  at  Fayette,  and  they  desired  to  have  the  Prophet 
among  them,  to  bless  him  with  their  faith  and  aid  him  by 
their  works  in  the  accomplishment  of  his  ministry.  After  a 
brief  time  Joseph  Knight  came  to  Harmony.  Seeing  the 
situation  of  the  Prophet,  he  offered  his  wagon  and  horses  for 
the  conveyance  of  Joseph's  family  to  Fayette ;  and  in  the  last 
week  of  August,  1830,  the  Prophet  found  himself  established 
once  more  in  the  house  of  Peter  Whitmer. 

Wearied  with  the  bufferings  of  the  world,  Joseph  would 
have  been  glad  to  enjoy  a  little  season  of  peace;  but  on  his 
arrival  at  Fayette  he  found  that  the  old  spirit  of  vanity  had 
gained  an  entrance,  even  while  he  was  journeying  from  Har- 
mony. One  ol  the  brethren,  named  Hiram  Page,  had  been 
inspired  by  the  evil  one  to  make  known  revelations  which  he 
declared  he  had  received  for  the  Church,  through  a  stone 
he  had,  which  were  utterly  at  variance  with  the  spirit 
of  the  gospel  and  opposed  to  the  commands  of  God,  previ- 
ously given  through  Joseph,  the  ordained  Prophet.  These 
tempting  declarations  made  by  Hiram  Page  had  met  with  the 
favor  of  Oliver  Cowdery  and  some  of  the  Whitmers.  They 
were  deceived  by  him;. they  had  not  yet  fully  learned  that 
Satan  could  give  revelations.  Joseph  rebuked  again,  and 
this  time  more  sternly,  the  childish  folly  of  these  people. 
They  were  anxious  to  do  right ;  and  yet,  without  his  presence, 
they  were  certain  to  do  evil.  He  demanded  that  they  should 
forsake  the  false  doctrines  which  Hiram  Page  was  promul- 
gating, and  that  all  should  unite  with  him  in  asking  God  to 
reveal  to  them  His  will  concerning  the  manner  in  which  His 
commands  should  be  given  to  the  world.  The  answer  to  this 
petition  was  that  revelation,  given  to  Oliver  Cowdery  early  in 
September,  1830,  establishing  at  once  and  forever  the  order  of 
Heaven  concerning  God's  revelations  to  men.  It  was  made 
known  to  Oliver  therein  that  God  had  but  one  head  for  His 
Church,  and  that  head  was  his  chosen  servant,  Joseph  Smith. 
No  one  else  should  be  appointed  by  the  Church,  until  God 
should  so  direct,  to  receive  commandments;  for  Joseph  held 
the  keys  of  the  mysteries  and  the  revelations  which  were 
sealed,  and  through  him  alone  should  they  be  given,  until 


96  JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET. 

some  other  should  be  chosen  by  the  Lord  in  his  stead.  Oliver's 
place  was  defined  to  him :  He  should  receive  revelations,  but 
not  to  be  written  by  way  ot  command  to  the  Church.  It  wa& 
his  duty  to  labor  in  secret  with  his  brother,  Hiram  Page,  and 
declare  to  him  that  the  things  which  Hiram  had  written  as- 
revelations  from  that  stone,  were  not  of  God  and  that  Satan 
was  deceiving  him.  When  these  things  should  be  finished, 
Oliver  was  told,  it  would  be  his  duty  to  go  to  the  land  of  the 
Lamanites,  or  Indians,  among  whom  the  gospel  must  be  pro- 
claimed, and  by  whose  borders  a  city  should  be  built. 

The  word  of  God  had  its  effect,  and  the  evil  which  had 
been  done  was  repented  of  by  all.  Hiram  Page  and  the  Whit- 
mers  forsook  that  which  had  been  condemned  and  asked  for- 
giveness. 

Besides  settling  the  grand  principle  that  individuals  can 
receive  revelations  for  their  own  comfort,  but  not  as  command- 
ments for  the  Church,  and  that  the  chosen  Prophet  who  stands 
at  the  head  shall  alone  have  that  authority,  the  Lord  in  this 
revelation  informed  His  children  of  a  purpose  which  to  them 
must  have  been  a  source  of  amazement.  It  was  within  this 
divine  purpose  that  a  city  of  the  Saints  should  be  built;  and 
yet  here  was  but  a  handful  of  people,  with  a  Prophet  perse- 
cuted, threatened,  driven,  until  he  had  no  place  to  lay  his 
head,  except  through  the  charity  of  his  brethren. 

Doubtless  these  people,  who  were  now  reconciled  to  Hea- 
ven and  united  with  each  other,  felt  wonder  that  they  should 
be  called  upon  to  engage  in  any  labor  likely  to  attract  anew 
the  vengeful  feeling  of  mobs.  But  whatever  worldly  fear  may 
have  assailed  them,  they  were  soon  blessed  and  encouraged  by 
another  revelation,  which  followed  in  a  few  days.  It  came 
through  Joseph,  in  the  presence  of  six  elders,  at  Fayette;  and 
it  declared  that  they  were  chosen  out  of  the  world  to  proclaim 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  with  the  sound  of  rejoicing,  as  with 
the  voice  of  a  trump.  They  were  informed  that  their  duty 
would  be  to  bring  to  pass  the  gathering  of  God's  people  upon 
the  earth.  This  was  the  spiritual  inception  of  that  great 
missionary  movement  designed  by  God,  to  bring  out  from 
every  nation,  kindred,  tongue  and  people  to  the  land  which 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  97 

He  should  designate  as  a  place  of  gathering,  every  honest  soul 
who  would  have  faith  and  accept  the  requirements  of  the 
gospel. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   SECOND    CONFERENCE    OF    THE   CHURCH — HARMONY    AND    LOVE 

AMONG   THE     ELDERS ACCESSIONS     TO     THE     CONGREGATION 

THE    MISSION    TO    THE  LAMANITES INDIVIDUAL    REVELATIONS 

— GOD'S    CHOSEN    SERVANTS    IN    MISSOURI. 

THE  second  General  Conference  of  the  Church  opened  atFay- 
ette  on  the  1st  day  of  September,  1830.  Joseph  Smith  pre- 
sided, and  he  was  supported  by  the  presence,  the  faith  and 
prayers  of  nearly  all  the  members  of  the  Church.  The  Con- 
ference lasted  three  days,  and  was  remarkable  for  the  power 
of  the  Spirit  which  was  exhibited. 

At  this  Conference  Joseph  Smith  showed  one  of  his  great- 
est characteristics,  which  was  an  especial  willingness  to  meet 
any  issue  which  might  be  involved  within  his  labor  as  a  pro- 
phet, or  his  life  as  an  individual.  He  had  already  won  Oliver 
Cowdery  and  the  Whitmers  to  a  rejection  of  the  destroying 
revelations  enunciated  by  Hiram  Page ;  and  Hiram,  himself, 
had  abandoned  these  false  manifestations.  But  the  Prophet 
knew  that  the  people  must  learn  within  their  own  individual 
experience  to  be  guided  by  holy  influence,  and  to  know  the 
voice  of  Christ  and  for  their  individual  rejection,  the  tempt- 
ing whisper  of  the  evil  one.  His  confidence  in  the  inspira- 
tion which  flowed  from  Heaven,  and  then  from  heart 
to  heart  within  the  congregation,  was  not  mistaken.  Every 
soul  present  at  this  Conference,  realized  for  himself  that  Satan 
had  been  lying  in  wait  to  ensnare  the  feet  of  God's  children, 
and  to  bring  upon  their  heads  a  greater  condemnation  than 


98  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

the  unbelieving  world  could  know.  Therefore,  the  Confer- 
ence officially  and  unanimously  renounced  the  false  and  per- 
nicious doctrines  sought  to  be  foisted  upon  the  Church,  and 
heard  with  joyful  acceptance  the  revelation  from  God  declar- 
ing that  His  commands  should  come  only  through  His  Pro- 
phet. 

The  men  who  held  the  holy  Priesthood  in  the  new  and 
everlasting  covenant  were  learning  to  love  each  other  with  a 
love  greater  than  that  of  brothers.  Separated  from  the  world 
no  less  by  its  hatred  and  murderous  persecution  than  by  their 
own  determination  to  keep  the  commandments  of  God,  they 
realized  that  they  must  seek  within  each  other's  society  on 
earth  the  comfort  and  peace  necessary  to  sustain  them  through 
the  waters  of  tribulation.  And  at  this  Conference  was  felt 
an  unspeakable  influence  of  union  and  mutual  regard.  Peo- 
ple attracted  by  the  wondrous  tidings,  had  come  from  afar  to 
Fayette,  and  many  of  them  listened  and  believed.  Baptisms, 
for  the  remission  of  sins,  confirmations,  for  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost ,  and  ordinations  to  power  and  Priesthood,  were 
numerous ;  and  the  sacrament  was  administered  to  every  per- 
son who  was  present  claiming  membership  in  the  body  of 
Christ,  Faith  and  hope  and  charity  abounded  in  the  midst  of 
the  congregation  ol  Israel. 

Revelations  to  David  Whitmer,  Peter  Whitmer,  jun.,  and 
John  Whitmer,  and  to  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  were  received 
through  the,  Prophet,  announcing  the  will  of  the  Lord  con- 
cerning these  brethren.  Of  Peter  Whitmer  it  was  decreed  of 
God  that  he  should  soon  journey  with  Oliver  Cowdery  toward 
the  land  of  the  Lamanites.  David  was  rebuked  for  being 
worldly-minded  ;  and  he,  was  ordered  to  attend  to  the  minis- 
try in  the  Church  and  before  the  people  dwelling  in  the 
regions  around  about  Fayette,  until  the  Lord  should  give 
unto  him  further  commandments. 

The  revelation  formerly  given  through  the  Prophet  to 
Oliver  Cowdery,  enunciating  the  divine  decree  concerning 
the  Lamanites  and  the  work  to  be  accomplished  among  them, 
created  great  interest  in  the  minds  of  the  Elders  of  the  Church. 
The  desire  to  learn  more  of  this  important  matter  was  intensi- 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  99 

tied  by  the  harmony  which  prevailed  during  the  Conference, 
and  the  flow  of  the  Spirit  resulting  therefrom.  Joseph  and 
his  brethren  realized  that  the  purposes  of  God  toward  the 
Indians  of  this  land  were  great  and  far-reaching ;  and  that  the 
time  would  come  when  they  must  receive  the  gospel 
and  enjoy  its  blessings.  Many  of  the  Elders  expressed 
a  desire  to  take  up  the  work  of  the  ministry  among  their 
brethren  bound  in  darkness  and  ignorance  through  the  curse 
laid  upon  their  fathers ;  but  before  appointing  anyone  to  aid 
Oliver  and  Peter  Whitmer  in  this  mission,  Joseph  inquired 
of  the  Lord.  His  answer  was  a  revelation  appointing  unto 
Parley  P.  Pratt  and  Ziba  Peterson  that  they  should  go  with 
Oliver  and  Peter  into  the  wilderness,  .among  the  Lamanites. 
Our  Lord  arid  Savior  promised  them  that  He  would  go  with 
them  and  be  in  their  midst,  and  that  nothing  should  prevail 
against  them ;  but  they  were  commanded  to  pretend  to  no 
power  or  revelation  except  that  which  was  given  to  them  by 
God,  and  unfolded  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  their  understanding. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1830,  the  Elders  appointed  to 
this  work  departed  from  Fayette,  carrying  with  them  a  copy 
of  the  revelations  concerning  their  mission.  Their  mission 
was  more  than  to  journey  westward  to  the  land  of  the  Laman- 
ites ;  for  each  one  of  them  was  also  under  the  special  com- 
mand and  ordination  to  proclaim  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
to  every  listening  ear.  And  from  the  hour  that  they  departed 
from  Fayette,  they  lifted  up  their  voices  by  the  wayside  and 
left  their  testimony  in  every  village  through  which  they 
passed. 

In  this  same  month  of  October  a  revelation  was  given 
through  the  Prophet  to  Ezra  Thayre  and  Northrop  Sweet, 
calling  them  to  labor  in  the  vineyard,  for  the  eleventh  hour 
had  come.  They  were  promised  that  speech,  sacred  and 
powerful,  should  be  given  unto  them,  if  they  would  have  faith 
to  open  their  mouths  before  congregations.  And  in  Novem- 
ber, 1830,  Orson  Pratt — a  youth  of  19  years,  a  brother  of 
Parley  P.  Pratt — came  from  his  home  in  Canaan,  New  York, 
to  Fayette,  to  ask  of  the  Lord  for  light  and  help  concerning 
his  individual  duty.  The  Prophet  complied  with  the  youth's 


100  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

desire  and  inquired  of  the  Lord  for  him ;  and  in  response  a 
revelation  was  given  in  Orson's  behalf,  which  has  since  had  a. 
wondrous  fulfillment  in  his  life  : 

"  Blessed  are  you,  because  you  are  called  of  me  to  preach  my  gospel. 
*  *  *  *  For  behold,  verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  the  time  is 
soon  at  hand  that  I  shall  come  in  a  cloud  with  power  and  great  glory,  and  it 
shall  be  a  day  at  the  time  of  my  coming  for  all  nations  to  tremble.  But  be- 
fore that  great  day  shall  come,  the  sun  shall  be  darkened  and  the  moon  be 
turned  to  blood,  and  the  stars  shall  refuse  their  shining,  and  some  shall  fall, 
and  great  destructions  await  the  wicked.  Wherefore,  lift  up  your  voice,  and 
spare  not,  for  the  Lord  God  hath  spoken.  Therefore,  prophesy,  and  it  shall 
be  given  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. ' ' 

These  revelations  to  individuals  concerning  their  duty, 
were  necessary  in  that  hour.  Men,  however  faithful  and  devo- 
ted to  the  Church,  had  not  yet  learned  the  order  of  the  gospel 
and  its  requirements  upon  them.  And,  that  they  might  not 
be  suffered  to  rest  in  their  own  ignorance  and  led  astray 
by  the  wiles  of  Satan,  the  Lord,  through  His  Prophet,  marked 
out  the  plain  path  which  they  were  to  follow.  The  rich 
heritage  of  knowledge,  which  belongs  now  to  every  faithful 
member  of  the  Church,  had  to  be  gained  little  by  little  through, 
long  and  continuous  prayer  to  God,  by  the  early  acceptors  of 
the  Gospel. 

The  Lord  suffered  none  to  go  astray  for  lack  of  command- 
ment. And,  in  the  subsequent  history  of  the  men  whose 
names  appear  as  early  recipients  of  Divine  revelation,  can  be 
traced  their  faithfulness  to  Heavenly  requirement,  or  their 
yielding  to  the  whispers  of  the  evil  one.  The  Lord,  in  His 
revelation  through  Joseph  Smith,  gave  a  mission  to  Orson 
Pratt  which  was  nobly  fulfilled.  No  less  particular  and  com- 
prehensive was  His  commandment  to  other  Elders;  but,  in 
many  instances,  far  different  was  the  result. 

The  work  which  the  Prophet  directed  under  these  revela- 
tions shows  that  the  plan  decreed  by  God  for  the  building  up 
of  His  Church  was  understood  by  Joseph.  Viewed  from  a 
human  standpoint,  the  intention  of  the  Prophet  to  send  mis- 
sionaries throughout  all  the  land,  bearing  proclamation  con- 
cerning the  new  Church,  would  have  been  a  surprising  ambi- 
tion. What  was  he,  that  he  should  declare  a  gathering-place 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  101 

in  the  West ;  that  he  should  command  men  to  lay  down  their 
(hiilv  toil,  and  go  forth  as  ministers  proclaiming  religious  truth 
to  a  skeptical  world ;  that  he  should  decree  the  building  up  of 
a  city  upon  the  Lamanite  borders  ?  Had  Joseph  Smith,  at  the 
hour  when  he  sent  forth  Oliver  Cowdery  and  Parley  P.  Pratt 
with  their  companions  into  the  western  wilderness,  made 
avowal  of  such  intentions,  prompted  by  vanity  and  a  self- 
conceived  desire  to  give  himself  and  his  cause  promi- 
nence, complete  and  humiliating  would  have  been  his 
failure.  But  if  the  declarations  which  he  made  had 
originated  from  such  a  source,  he  could  not  have  been 
subjected  to  greater  ridicule  than  fell  upon  him  when  he 
avowed  that  he  and  his  coadjutors  were  but  fulfilling  the  will 
of  God — who  would  not  suffer  His  purposes  to  fail  one  jot  or 
tittle.  To  call  men,  untrained  by  education  and  special  pre- 
paration, to  go  forth,  without  purse  or  scrip,  to  preach  the 
gospel,  was  a  departure  from  accustomed  methods  that  in 
many  minds  excited  derision  and  contempt.  True,  this  was 
the  practice  in  apostolic  days,  and  was  the  course  taken  by 
the  Savior  in  the  calling  and  sending  out  of  His  disciples ;  but 
the  fashion  had  become  obsolete.  Education  had  become 
more  essential  for  ministers  than  the  Holy  Ghost ;  a  salary  than 
a  faith  that  would  trust  the  Lord  to  supply  food  and  clothing. 
The  teaching  of  the  doctrine  of  the  gathering,  also,  was  a 
new  announcement  to  the  world.  The  belief  common  in 
Christendom  was  that  man  was  as  near  to  God  in  one  place  as 
another,  and  He  could  be  worshiped  everywhere  alike.  The 
idea,  therefore  of  converts  abandoning  home,  with  all  its 
delightful  associations  and  ancestral  memories,  and  going  to  a 
new  land,  remote  from  kindred  and. friends,  as  a  religious  duty, 
was  a  startling  one  and  came  in  contact  with  all  pre-conceived 
views.  Under  the  inspiration,  however,  of  the  Lord,  Joseph 
made  it  known  as  a  movement  required  of  true  believers  by 
the  Almighty  to  prepare  them  for  coming  events.  It  was  a 
bold  proclamation,  and,  viewed  from  a  human  standpoint,  was 
likely  to  interfere  with  successful  conversions.  But  it  was 
from  the  Lord,  and  honest  seekers  after  truth  were  led  to  look 
to  Him  for  the  evidence  of  its  heavenly  origin.  The  result 


102  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

came  in  its  due  time,  and  .should  have  been  convincing  to 
every  human  soul.  Of  all  the  commandments  enunciated 
through  Joseph  Smith,  nothing  failed. 

The  Prophet,  during  the  months  of  October  and  Novem- 
ber, himself  labored  in  the  ministry,  encouraging  all  by  his 
upright  and  zealous  life,  making  many  converts,  and  spread- 
ing heavenly  wisdom  among  all  the  honest-in -heart  who  would 
give  ear  to  his  Avords. 

In  the  meantime,  the  missionaries  to  the  West  were  pro- 
gressing with  their  labor.  They  reached  Kirtland,  Ohio,  and 
there  made  a  brief  stand,  because  the  field  seemed  promising. 
Many  persons  were  converted  to  the  truth,  and  accepted  the 
gospel.  The  Elders  wrote  at  once  to  the  Prophet,  informing 
him  of  these  facts,  and  he  directed  John  Whitmer  to  proceed 
at  once  to  Kirtland  and  preside  over  the  branch  of  the  Church 
there. 

When  the  Elders  left  Kirtland  to  proceed  further  into  the 
wilderness,  one  of  the  new  converts,  Frederick  G.  Williams, 
accompanied  them.  They  went  as  far  as  Independence,  Jack- 
son County,  Missouri ;  and  were  the  firs£  of  God's  chosen  ser- 
vants in  this  dispensation  to  set  foot  upon  that  consecrated  soil. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

SIDNEY    RIGDON    AND     EDWARD     PARTRIDGE     JOIN     THE    CHURCH 

JOSEPH    COMMENCES    THE  TRANSLATION    CF  THE    SCRIPTURES 

SAINTS    COMMANDED    TO    GATHER    AT    OHIO JOSEPH  MIGRATES 

FROM    NEW    YORK THE    KIRTLAND    SAINTS    FALL    INTO    ERROR 

GOD'S    POWER    MANIFESTED IMPORTANT    REVELATIONS. 

IN  December,  1830,  two  men  came  from  Kirtland,  Ohio,  to 
visit  the  Prophet  at  Fayette.  They  were  Sidney  Rigdon  and 
Edward  Partridge.  Both  had  accepted  the  gospel,  as  declared 
to  them  by  the  western  missionaries,  and  Sidney  Rigdon  had 
been  baptized.  After  reaching  Fayette,  Edward  Partridge 
demanded  and  received  baptism  under  the  Prophet's  hands. 
These  two  men  offered  to  Joseph,  for  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
their  time,  their  talents  and  all  they  possessed.  Like  all  the 
early  members  of  the  Church,  having  not  yet  gained  full 
understanding  of  the  purposes  of  God,  having  not  yet  gained 
confidence  in  their  own  ability  to  rightly  determine  their  con- 
duet,  they  desired  that  the  Lord  should  give  them  His 
special  commands.  Joseph  prayed  for  revelation  on  their 
behalf,  arid  was  speedily  answered. 

The  Lord  revealed  many  comforting  and  exalting  truths 
to  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Edward  Partridge.  To  Sidney  He 
gave  a  special  command  that  he  should  write  for  Joseph.  The. 
Lord  made  known  to  Sidney  what  Joseph  already  understood — 
that  the  Scriptures  should  be  given,  even  as  they  were  in 
God's  own  bosom,  to  the  salvation  of  His  elect.  And  soon 
after  this  time  Joseph  began  a  new  translation  of  the  Scriptures. 
While  he  labored,  many  truths,  buried  through  scores  of 
ages,  were  brought  forth  to  his  understanding,  and  he  saw  in 
their  purity  and  holiness  all  the  doings  of  God  among  His 
children,  from  the  days  of  Adam  unto  the  birth  of  our  Lord 
and  Savior.  But  before  the  close  of  December,  after  Sidney 


104  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

had  been  aiding  Joseph  some  little  time,  the  Lord  required 
the  Prophet  to  temporarily  cease  his  work  of  translation.  The 
enemy  of  all  truth  was  drawing  his  forces  around  about 
Fayette  to  achieve  the  destruction  of  the  Prophet,  and  the 
downfall  of  the  newly-founded  Church.  But  they  were  to  be 
foiled.  Fayette  was  not  the  region  where  the  Lord  designed 
His  people  to  settle.  Joseph's  mind  had  been  led  to  look  to 
the  western  country  for  that  purpose.  Contact  with  Sidney 
Rigdon  and  Edward  Partridge  confirmed  his  inclination  in 
that  direction.  The  time  had  now  arrived  when  it  appeared 
necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of  God's  purposes,  that  His 
people  (now  increased  to  several  score)  should  have  an  abiding 
place.  It  was  made  known  to  Joseph  by  revelation  from  the 
Lord,  where  this  new  resting-place  should  be.  He,  himself, 
did  not  expect  to  escape  personal  suffering  or  persecution  by 
this  new  move ;  nor  was  this  in  the  providence  of  God  con- 
cerning him.  But  he  knew  that  every  migration  made  by 
him  under  direction  of  the  Almighty  had  been  followed  by 
prosperity  and  increase  to  the  work,  and  he,  therefore,  obeyed 
the  command  to  remove  to  the  place  designated  by  the  Lord, 
without  hesitation  or  doubt. 

In  the  revelation  now  referred  to,  it  was  commanded  that 
the  people  of  God  should  assemble  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  and 
there  await  the  return  of  Oliver  Cowdery  and  his  fellow- 
missionaries  from  their  eventful  journey  into  the  wilderness. 
Thus  early  in  the  history  of  the  Church  was  the  destiny  of  the 
people  outlined.  Kirtland  was  to  be  a  stake  of  Zion ;  blessed 
by  the  presence  of  God's  anointed  Prophet  and  the  Apostles 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  glorified  by  a  temple  built  to  the 
name  of  the  Most  High ;  and  worthy  to  receive  the  ministra- 
tions in  person  of  the  Only  Begotten  Son  of  the  Eternal  Father. 
And  yet  it  was  to  be  but  a  momentary  resting-place ;  for  even 
while  the  Saints  were  to  gather  at  Kirtland,  the  western 
missionaries  were  viewing  the  region  in  Missouri,  yet  to  be 
known  as  the  centre  stake  of  Zion,  which  was  to  be  built  up 
and  beautified  for  the  visible  presence  of  our  Lord  and  Savior. 

Before  organizing  his  company  for  the  migration  from 
Seneca  County,  New  York,  into  Ohio,  the  Prophet  called  a 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  105 

conference  of  the  Church  to  be  held  in  Fayette  on  the  2nd 
day  of  January,  1831.  With  the  opening  of  the  year,  the 
Prophet  saw  a  glorious  prospect  for  the  welfare  of  the  king- 
dom. And  at  this  conference  all  present  seemed  to  partake 
of  his  faith  and  of  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  a  revela- 
tion given  for  the  comfort  and  sustenance  of  the  Saints  on  this 
occasion,  the  Lord  made  known  that  in  secret  chambers 
was  much  plotting  for  the  destruction  of  the  Saints  of  God. 
The  command  was  renewed  that  they  should  go  into  Ohio, 
and  some  of  the  reasons  for  this  movement  were  made  known. 
Encouragement  was  also  given  to  the  people  that  the  Lord 
intended  to  give  unto  them  a  land  of  promise — a  land  upon 
which  there  should  be  no  curse  when  the  Lord  should  come. 
If  they  would  seek  it  with  all  their  hearts  the  Lord  made  a 
covenant  with  them  that  it  should  be  the  land  of  inheritance 
for  themselves  and  their  children,  not  only  while  the  earth 
shall  stand,  but  in  eternity  no  more  to  pass  away.  It  is  upon 
this  and  kindred  promises  that  is  founded  the  hope,  so  tena- 
ciously clung  to  by  the  Latter-day  Saints  amid  all  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  their  checkered  career,  that  they  will  yet  inherit  that 
land  where  the  centre  stake  of  Zion  is  to  be  built. 

In  the  latter  part  of  January,  1831,  Joseph  departed  for 
Kirtland.  In  his  company  were  his  wife,  and  Elders  Sidney 
Rigclon,  Edward  Partridge,  Ezra  Thayre  and  Newel  Knight. 
Before  leaving  Seneca  County,  and  later  at  several  points  on 
their  journey,  they  preached  in  public  meetings  to  many 
searchers  after  the  truth.  On  every  occasion  new  converts 
came  forward  and  accepted  baptism  at  their  hands.  They 
reached  their  destination  in  the  opening  of  February ;  Joseph 
and  his  wife  at  once  found  entertainment  and  comfort  in  the 
house  of  Elder  Newel  K.  Whitney,  one  of  the  converts  made 
in  Kirtland  by  the  western  missionaries.  For  some  weeks  the 
Prophet  dwelt  here,  solaced  and  sustained  by  the  faith  and 
prayers  of  some  dear  friends.  But  outside  this  little  circle  he 
found  much  to  cause  him  concern  of  mind. 

The  branch  of  the  Church  at  Kirtland  had  become  numeri- 
cally strong,  for  it  numbered  nearly  one  hundred  members. 
But  they  had  been  led  into  strange  errors  and  darkness.  False 


106  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

spirits  had  crept  in  and  had  manifested  themselves  in  the 
subjugation  of  the  physical  and  mental  powers  of  their  victims 
— as  Newel  Knight  had  formerly  been  controlled  and 
possessed  by  the  evil  power  at  Colesville.  The  Saints  at  Kirt- 
land,  not  having  had  experience  to  enable  them  to  distinguish 
between  the  powers  of  light  and  the  powers  of  darkness,  and 
believing  these  things  to  be  divine  manifestations,  were  yield- 
ing to  them  and  imperiling  their  earthly  and  eternal  salvation, 
when  the  Prophet  came  and  by  his  presence  and  the  prayers 
and  faith  of  those  Elders  who  accompanied  him,  banished  all 
these  dark  influences  from  the  congregation  of  the  Saints. 
When  the  faith  of  the  Saints  was  aroused  and  exercised,  the 
miracle  which  had  been  wrought  at  Colesville  was  here 
repeated.  Joseph,  by  the  power  of  God,  rebuked  the  vile 
one  and  his  crew  ;  and  his  brother  Hyrum,  under  the  Prophet's 
direction,  laid  his  hands  on  the  sufferers'  heads  and  cast  out 
the  devils. 

Immediately  following  the  reconciliation  wrought  among 
the  Saints  of  Qod  by  their  faith  and  these  miracles,  a  revela- 
tion was  given  from  the  Lord  directing  what  the  Elders 
should  do  to  receive  His  law,  that  they  might  know  how  to 
govern  His  Church,  and  informing  them  that  he  who  received 
His  law  and  doeth  it  is  His  disciple ;  but  he  that  saith  he 
receiveth  it  and  doeth  it  not,  is  not  His  disciple  and  should  be 
cast  out  from  among  them ;  and  also  appointing  unto  Edward 
Partridge  that  he  should  be  ordained  a  Bishop,  to  leave  his 
own  affairs  and  devote  his  time  to  the  service  of  the  Lord. 
This  was  on  the  4th  of  February,  1831.  Five  days  later  the 
word  of  the  Lord  again  came  to  the  Elders  of  the  Church, 
saying  : — 

"  Ye  shall  go  forth  in  the  power  of  my  Spirit,  preaching  my  gospel, 
two  by  two,  in  my  name,  lifting  up  your  voices  as  with  the  voice  of  a 
trumpet,  declaring  my  word  like  unto  angels  of  God  ;  and  ye  shall  go  forth 
baptizing  with  water,  saying — Repent  ye  !  Repent  ye  !  For  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  is  at  hand. 

"And  from  this  place  ye  shall  go  forth  unto  the  regions  westward  ; 
and  inasmuch  as  ye  shall  find  them  that  will  receive  you,  ye  shall  build  up 
my  Church  in  every  region,  until  the  time  shall  come  when  it  shall  be 
revealed  unto  you  from  on  high,  when  the  city  of  the  New  Jerusalem  shall 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  107 

be  prepared,  that  you  may  be  gathered  in  one,  that  you  may  be  my  people, 
and  I  will  be  your  God." 

In  this  revelation  instruction  was  given  that  no  one 
was  to  preach  or  to  build  up  the  Church  of  Christ  without 
being  properly  ordained  by  one  having  authority ;  the  Elders 
were  taught  the  principles  which  they  should  declare,  and 
they  were  particularly  enjoined  to  teach  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord ;  and  if  they  received  it  not,  they  were  told  not  to  teach ; 
the  moral  law  was  plainly  declared  and  the  dreadful  conse- 
quence of  unchastity  was  strongly  emphasized ;  he  that  sinned 
and  repented  not  was  to  be  cast  out;  consecration  of  property 
to  sustain  the  poor  was  enforced ;  home  manufacture  was 
encouraged  by  the  requirements  that  dress  should  be  plain  and 
its  beauty  the  beauty  which  the  Saints'  own  labor  gave  it; 
cleanliness  was  commanded  and  idleness  was  condemned ; 
the  proper  treatment  of  the  sick  and  the  mourning  for  the  dead 
were  made  known ;  that  glorious  promise — the  complete  ful- 
fillment of  which  has  been  a  solace  and  a  source  of  unbounded 
joy  to  the  Latter-day  Saints  through  all  the  years  which  have 
intervened  since  it  was  given — was  made,  "that  those  that  die 
in  me  [Jesus  Christ]  shall  not  taste  of  death,  for  it  shall  be 
sweet  unto  them ;"  to  those  who  had  various  infirmities  and 
had  faith,  miraculous  healing  was  promised  ;  honesty  of  deal- 
ing was  enjoined;  instructions  concerning  the  new  translation 
of  the  Scriptures  were  given;  when  asked  for,  revelation  upon 
revelation  and  knowledge  upon  knowledge  were  promised ; 
the  converts  in  the  east  were  to  be  taught  by  the  Elders  to  flee 
to  the  west  to  escape  future  trouble  ;  the  Saints  were  to  receive 
Church  covenants  suificient  to  establish  them  in  Ohio  and  in 
the  New  Jerusalem  ;  he  that  lacked  wisdom  was  encouraged 
to  ask  and  he  should  be  given  liberally  and  without  upbraid- 
ing; commandments  were  given  respecting  fornicators, 
adulterers  and  other  transgressors,  and  the  manner  they 
should  be  dealt  with. 

Altogether  this  was  a  most  important  revelation.  It  threw 
a  flood  of  light  upon  a  great  variety  of  subjects  and  settled 
many  important  questions.  Faithful  men  and  women  were 
greatly  delighted  at  being  members  of  a  Church  which  the 


108  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

Lord  acknowledged  as  His  own,  and  to  which  he  communi- 
cated His  word  through  His  inspired  Prophet  as  He  did  at 
this  time. 

While  Joseph  was  thus  ministering  among  the  people,  in 
the  same  month  of  February,  1831,  the  Lord  commanded  him 
to  call  the  Elders  of  the  Church  together  from  the  east  and 
the  west,  and  from  the  north  and  south,  to  receive  in  solemn 
assemblage  the  pouring  out  of  His  Spirit  upon  them.  Pur- 
suant to  this  requirement  a  General  Conference  of  the  Church 
was  appointed  to  be  held  in  Kirtland  on  the  6th  day  of  June, 
1831. 

At  no  time  during  the  Prophet's  career  did  the  care  of 
the  poor  escape  his  attention  or  become  a  matter  of  indiffer- 
ence to  him.  He  was  a  man  of  large  benevolence,  and  his 
sympathies  were  quickly  aroused  by  any  tale  of  sorrow  or 
appeal  for  relief.  In  the  most  busy  and  trying  periods  of  his 
life  those  who  went  to  him  for  counsel  in  their  troubles, 
always  found  him  willing  to  listen,  and  they  were  sure  to 
receive  encouragement  and  assistance.  To  extend  comfort  to 
the  bruised  spirit,  and  to  help  the  needy  and  distressed 
appeared  a  constant  pleasure  to  him.  His  hospitality,  also, 
was  a  marked  feature  in  his  character.  His  house  was  always 
open  to  entertain  the  stranger.  One  of  the  most  cherished 
recollections  of  many  of  the  old  members  of  the  Church  is  the 
kindness  with  which  they  were  treated  by  "  Brother  Joseph," 
and  the  warm  welcome  he  gave  them  to  his  house  upon  their 
arrival  at  Kirtland  and  other  places  where  he  lived. 

In  the  revelation  above  referred  to  the  Lord  said  : 

"Ye  must  visit  the  poor  and  the  needy  and  administer  to  their  relief,  that 
they  may  be  kept  until  all  things  may  be  done  according  to  my  law  which  ye 
have  received. ' ' 

In  other  revelations  which  the  Lord  gave  to  Joseph, 
frequent  mention  was  made  oi  the  poor  and  the  provisions 
which  should  be  made  for  their  sustenance.  Before  leaving 
Fayette,  New  York,  the  Church  was  commanded  to  appoint 
certain  men  to  look  to  the  poor  and  the  needy,  and  adminis- 
ter to  their  relief  that  they  should  not  suffer.  Directly  after 
reaching  Kirtland,  Joseph  received  a  revelation  in  which  the 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHKT.  109 

Church  was  told  by  the  Lord  to  remember  the  poor  and  conse- 
crate properties  for  their  support,  that  every  man  who  had 
need  might  be  amply  supplied  and  receive  according  to  his 
wants.  Again,  the  command  was  given  to  "  remember  in  all 
things  the  poor  and  the  needy,  the  sick  and  the  afflicted,  for  " 
the  Lord  said,  "  he  that  doeth  not  these  things  the  same  is 
not  my  disciple." 

A  clear  exposition  of  the  duty  laid  upon  every  believer  in 
the  gospel  as  revealed  in  this  last  dispensation,  if  he  had  been 
blessed  with  abundance,  to  share  of  his  wealth  with  the  poor, 
was  given  in  a  subsequent  revelation  in  the  following  striking 
language : 

"  Wo  unto  you  rich  men,  that  will  not  give  your  substance  to  the  poor, 
for  your  riches  will  canker  your  souls ;  and  this  shall  be  your  lamentation  in 
the  day  of  visitation,  and  of  judgment,  and^of  indignation — the  harvest  is 
past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and  my  soul  is  not  saved  ! ' ' 

In  this  way  the  duty  of  the  Saints  towards  the  poor — this 
practical  and  essential  part  of  true  religion — was  deeply 
impressed  upon  them  and  kept  constantly  before  them.  In 
numerous  paragraphs  of  the  revelations  given  to  the  Church 
during  those  early  days,  were  the  members  taught  that  the 
Lord  intended  His  people  to  be  equal  in  temporal  things — that 
class  distinctions  should  not  exist  among  them  because  of  the 
riches  of  some  and  the  poverty  of  others.  The  effect  of  those 
early  revelations  and  teachings  upon  this  subject  have  been 
visible  upon  the  people  from  the  time  they  were  given  to  the 
present.  There  has  been  a  continual  yearning  for  such  a 
higher  life — such  a  blessed  and  heavenly  condition  of  society 
— as  the  practical  adaptation  and  realization  of  the  truths  of 
the  revelations  will  bring  about.  Amid  the  dangers  with 
which  many  of  the  faithful  members  have  thought  the  Church 
has  been  menaced  through  the  increase  of  wealth  of  some  of 
their  number,  they  have  always  been  cheered  by  the  assurance 
that  the  day  was  not  far  distant  when  the  injunction  would 
be  carried  out,  which  the  Lord  gave  in  the  days  of  which  we 
write  :  "  Let  every  man  deal  honestly,  and  be  alike  among 
this  people,  and  receive  alike,  that  ye  may  be  one,  even  as  I 
have  commanded  you.'* 


110  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

This  has  been  the  ideal  condition  to  which  all  have  lifted 
their  eyes.  The  effect  has  been  that  the  wide  difference  which 
exists  in  the  world  between  the  rich  and  the  poor — with  the 
one  class  wealthy  beyond  all  safety  and  reason,  and  the  other 
class  wretchedly  poor  even  to  starvation — has  always  been  felt 
to  be  terribly  wrong  and  contrary  to  the  will  of  God.  It  was 
this  bond  of  union  and  mutual  help  in  a  temporal  sense, 
established  by  the  command  of  Jehovah,  and  constantly 
taught  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  and  his  co-laborers,  which 
enabled  the  Saints  through  all  the  succeeding  persecutions  to 
move  and  endure  as  one  family,  all  suffering  measurably  alike. 
Since  the  days  of  the  Savior  there  has  never  been,  until 
Joseph  Smith's  time,  a  system  of  social  life  in  which  honor- 
able poverty  received  such  consideration  and  such  help. 
Concerning  the  poor  at  this  early  day  the  Lord  said  : 

"  They  shall  see  the  Kingdom  of  God  coming  in  power  and  great 
glory  unto  their  deliverance  ;  for  the  fatness  of  the  earth  shall  be  theirs." 

"For  behold  the  Lord  shall  come  and  his  recompense  shall  be  with 
and  he  shall  reward  every  man,  and  the  poor  shall  rejoice  ;  and  their  genera- 
tions shall  inherit  the  earth  from  generation  to  generation  for  ever  and  ever." 

The  Church  at  Kirtland  soon  began  to  assume  an 
importance  which  alarmed  its  opponents.  Previous  to  this 
time  falsehood  and  persecution  had  been  directed  almost 
entirely  against  the  Prophet  himself.  But  as  the  work 
extended  and  the  Church  increased  in  its  membership,  the 
father  of  lies  did  not  confine  his  attacks  to  Joseph ;  he  sent 
forth  his  countless  emissaries  to  provoke  hatred  and  wrath 
against  the  Church  itself.  Yet  nothing  tangible  up  to  this 
time  could  be  alleged  against  the  Prophet  Joseph  or  the 
Church  which  G-od  organized  through  his  instrumentality. 
Here  at  Kirtland,  and  at  this  time?  however,  the  foes  of  truth 
united  in  formulating  and  publishing  to  the  world  all  the 
calumnies  which  their  wicked  imaginations  could  devise.. 
None  were  more  active  in  this  infamous  business  than  certain 
fearful  and  lying  priests  and  their  bigoted  adherents ;  and  it 
is  from  this  fruitful  source  of  accusation  and  slander  that 
subsequent  defamers  of  the  Prophet's  early  life  have  drawn 
many  of  their  falsehoods. 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  Ill 

To  the  Saints,  however,  there  was  compensation  for  these 
attacks  in  the  word  of  the  Lord  which  they  received  in  plain- 
ness and  power  at  this  time  through  the  Prophet.  He  was 
inspired  to  write  many  revelations  which  were  of  priceless 
value  to  the  Church.  Principles  and  doctrines,  instructions 
and  warnings,  promises  and  prophecies,  were  given  with  a 
simplicity  and  clearness  suited  to  the  capacity  of  the  humblest 
understanding,  and  yet  the  truths  they  contained  are  so  sublime 
as  to  furnish  instruction  and  food  for  profound  thought  to 
men  of  the  highest  attainments  and  the  most  extensive  culti- 
vation. 

Among  several  revelations  given  during  this  month  of 
March,  1831,  there  was  one  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  to 
the  Saints  then,  and  the  lapse  of  time  has  only  added  to  its 
importance  in  the  minds  of  all  believers.  It  was  upon  that 
never-failing  subject  of  interest — the  second  coming  of  the 
Savior.  The  signs  which  should  precede  His  coming  and 
the  wonderful  manifestations  which  should  accompany  it — 
making  the  event  the  most  awful  and  yet  the  most  glorious 
witnessed  since  the  dawn  ot  creation — were  described  with 
divine  clearness.  In  this  revelation  the  Lord  said  : 

"  Wherefore,  hearken  and  I  will  reason  with  you,  and  I  will  speak 
unto  you  and  prophesy,  as  unto  men  in  days  of  old ;  and  I  will  show  it 
plainly  as  I  showed  it  unto  my  disciples  as  I  stood  before  them  in  the  flesh, 
and  spake  unto  them,  saying,  as  ye  have  asked  of  me  concerning  the  signs 
of  my  coming  in  the  day  when  I  shall  come  in  my  glory  in  the  clouds  of 
Heaven,  to  fulfill  the  promises  that  I  made  unto  your  fathers." 

A  rehearsal  is  then  given  of  instructions  and  predictions 
which  He  gave  to  His  disciples,  similar,  but  in  greater  fullness 
to  those  recorded  in  the  24th  chapter  of  Matthew  in  the  ~New 
Testament.  For  the  comfort  of  His  ancient  disciples  He  made 
promises,  from  which  Saints  in  every  age  can  derive  satisfac- 
tion and  hope.  He  said  : 

' '  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  he  that  feareth  me  shall  be  looking  forth 
for  the  great  day  of  the  Lord  to  come,  even  for  the  signs  of  the  coming  of 
the  Son  of  Man.  *  *  But  before  the  arm  of  the  Lord  shall  fall,  an 
angel  shall  sound  his  trump,  and  the  Saints  that  have  slept  shall  come  forth 
to  meet  me  in  the  cloud  ;  wherefore  if  ye  have  slept  in  peace,  blessed  are 
you,  for  as  you  now  behold  me  and  know  that  I  am,  even  so  shall  ye 


112  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

come  unto  me,  and  your  souls  shall  live  and  your  redemption  shall  be  per- 
fected, and  the  Saints  shall  come  forth  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth. 
Then  shall  the  arm  of  the  Lord  fall  upon  the  nations,  and  then  shall  the  Lord 
set  His  foot  upon  this  mount  and  it  shall  cleave  in  twain,  and  the  earth  shall 
tremble  and  reel  to  and  fro,  the  Heavens  shall  also  shake.  *  *  *  For 
they  that  are  wise  and  have  received  the  truth,  and  have  taken  the  Holy 
Spirit  for  their  guide,  and  have  not  been  deceived  ;  verily  I  say  unto  you, 
they  shall  not  be  hewn  down  and  cast  into  the  fire,  but  shall  abide  the  day, 
and  the  earth  shall  be  given  unto  them  for  an  inheritance  ;  and  they  shall 
multiply  and  wax  strong,  and  their  children  shall  grow  up  without  sin  unto 
salvation,  for  the  Lord  shall  be  in  their  midst,  and  His  glory  shall  be  upon 
them,  and  He  will  be  their  King  and  Lawgiver." 

In  the  months  of  April  and  May,  1831,  the  Prophet  con- 
tinued to  labor  among  the  people  and  numerous  command- 
ments came  from  the  Lord  to  him  and  other  Elders,  especially 
directing  their  ministrations,  and  constantly  resolving  their 
doubts  and  removing  their  difficulties.  The  harvest  was  being 
gathered ;  the  Saints  from  New  York  and  other  places  had 
come  up  to  Kirtland  to  join  with  their  fellow-worshipers ; 
constant  accessions  were  being  made,  until  on  the  1st  of  June, 
1831,  a  few  days  preceding  the  appointed  General  Conference 
of  the  Church,  the  congregation  of  the  Saints  numbered  nearly 
two  thousand  souls. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FOURTH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE — -GOD  DESIGNATES  MISSOURI  AS  THE 

PLACE  OF  HOLDING  THE  NEXT  CONFERENCE TRANSGRESSION  OF 

THE  THOMPSON  BRANCH JOSEPH  GOES  TO  THE  PLACE  OF  THE 

M;\\  JERUSALEM. 

FROM  all  the  dwelling-places  of  the  Saints  throughout  the 
land  came  representatives  to  attend  the  fourth  General  Con- 
ference of  the  Church.  It  opened  on  the  morning  of  the  6th 
of  June,  1831,  in  Kirtland,  Ohio,  under  the  presidency  of 
Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet  of  God.  Fourteen  months  had 
elapsed  since  the  organization  of  the  .Church  with  six  mem- 
bers. Now  the  congregation  numbered  two  thousand  souls. 
For  the  marvelous  manifestation  of  His  power,  which  had 
brought  these  people  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  and  had 
enabled  them  to  become  the  recipients  of  saving  ordinances, 
the  conference  offered  praise  to  Almighty  God.  There  was  a 
great  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  upon  the  assemblage,  and  the  Lord 
displayed  His  power  in  the  firm  establishment  of  His  word  in 
the  hearts  of  His  children.  Joseph  himself  says,  "  The  Lord 
gave  us  power  in  proportion  to  the  work  to  be  done."  Several 
were  selected  by  revelation  and  ordained  to  the  High  Priest- 
hood after  the  order  of  the  Son  of  God,  which  is  after  the 
order  of  Melchisedec.  This  was  the  first  occasion  this  Priest- 
hood had  been  conferred  upon  the  Elders  in  this  dispensation. 
The  cause  was  no  longer  the  work  of  a  single  family.  Its 
glory,  its  promise  and  its  tribulation,  as  it  must  endure,  were 
shared  by  a  considerable  community;  but  if  the  Saints  had 
been  all  one  family  in  the*  flesh,  they  could  not  have  been  more 
united  and  harmonious  than  they  were  on  the  occasion  of  this 
conference.  Peace  was  in  the  household  of  faith,  and  through 
humility  and  prayer  the  blessings  of  Heaven  were  generally 
enjoyed. 

In  the  midst  of  the  congregation  the  Lord  made  known, 
through  Joseph,  that  their  next  conference  should  be  held  far 


114  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

away  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  upon  the  spot  consecrated  by 
God  unto  the  children  of  Jacob,  the  heirs  of  His  covenant.  In 
the  same  revelation  the  Lord  directed  the  Prophet  and  Sidney 
&igdon  to  prepare  for  their  journey  into  the  land  of  Zion; 
promising  to  them  that  through  their  faith  they  should  know 
the  land  which  was  to  be  forever  the  inheritance  of  the  Saints 
of  the  Most  High.  Special  instructions  were  also  given  to 
others  of  the  Elders,  commanding  them  to  go  forth  two  by 
two  in  the  proclamation  of  the  word  of  God  by  the  way,  to 
every  congregation  where  they  could  get  a  hearing.  Though 
the  western  frontier  of  Missouri  was  their  destination,  they 
were  commanded  to  take  different  routes  and  not  build  on 
each  other's  foundation  or  travel  in  each  other's  track. 

At  this  time  the  branch  of  the  Church  in  Thompson, 
Ohio,  fell  into  darkness,  and  messengers  came  to  the  Prophet 
asking  him  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  for  them.  This  branch 
was  composed  of  Saints  who  had  moved  from  Coles ville,  New 
York,  and  who  had  received  instructions  from  the  Lord, 
through  the  Prophet  at  the  request  of  Bishop  Partridge,  as  to 
the  manner  in  which  they  should  organize  themselves  to  con- 
duct their  temporal  affairs.  In  response  to  the  supplication 
which  Joseph  addressed  to  the  Lord  upon  this  subject,  humility 
and  contrition  were  required  from  the  Saints  at  Thompson  for 
their  transgression,  and  they  were  directed  to  take  their  jour- 
ney into  the  regions  westward,  to  near  the  line  of  the  State  of 
Missouri  and  the  then  Indian  country.  Word  had  been 
received  from  Oliver  Cowdery  and  from  Parley  P.  Pratt 
announcing  their  ministrations  in  the  west,  and  giving  infor- 
mation concerning  the  Indians  or  Lamanites,  who  dwelt  in 
the  wilderness  across  the  line  from  Missouri. 

While  Joseph  was  preparing  to  depart  on  the  western 
journey  which  he  had  been  commanded  to  take,  William  W. 
Phelps,  a  man  of  considerable  prominence  in  the  Church  after- 
wards, came  with  his  family  from  afar  and  offered  himself  to  do 
the  will  of  the  Lord.  He  had  not  yet  been  baptized,  but  he 
was  promised  the  remission  of  his  sins  and  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  if  he  would  submit  to 
tlie  ordinances  with  the  proper  feeling;  and  he  was  to  be 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  115 

ordained  to  do  the  work  of  printing  for  the  Church ;  and  for 
this  cause  was  required  to  take  his  journey  with  Joseph  and 
Sidney  Eigdon  to  the  west. 

It  was  on  the  19th  day  of  June,  1831,  that  Joseph  Smith 
departed  from  Kirtland,  Ohio,  to  go  up  into  Missouri,  the 
place  promised  as  an  inheritance  for  the  Saints  and  at  which 
the  New  Jerusalem  should  sometime  be  established.  The 
Prophet  was  accompanied  by  Sidney  Rigdon,  Martin  Harris, 
Edward  Partridge,  W.  W.  Phelps,  Joseph  Coe  and  A.  S.  Gil- 
bert and  wife.  As  rapidly  as  possible  they  journeyed  by 
wagon  and  stage  and  occasionally  by  canal  boat  to  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  From  the  latter  point  they  went  to  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, by  steamer,  and  were  compelled  to  remain  there  three 
days  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  get  to  St.  Louis;  they 
.reached  St.  Louis  by  steamer  and  there  made  a  brief  pause. 
From  this  city  on  the  Mississippi,  the  Prophet  of  God  walked 
across  the  entire  State  of  Missouri  to  Independence,  Jackson 
County,  a  distance  of  nearly  three  hundred  miles  as  traveled. 
This  journey  through  the  blazing  heat  of  June  and  July  was 
sweet  to  Joseph.  There  was  a  charm  about  it  which  lightened 
toil.  The  pains  and  burdens  were  unworthy  of  notice  in  the 
delightful  anticipation  of  seeing  the  land  for  which  the  Lord, 
as  had  been  shown  to  him  by  vision  and  prophecy,  had 
reserved  so  glorious  a  future. 

He  was  accompanied  by  Martin  Harris,  William  "W. 
Phelps,  Edward  Partridge  and  Joseph  Coe ;  while  Sidney  Rig- 
don and  A.  S.  Gilbert  and  wife  went  up  the  Missouri  River  a 
few  days  later  by  steamboat.  It  was  about  the  middle  of  July 
when  the  Prophet  and  his  party  reached  Independence. 
During  the  month  of  their  journey  Joseph  had  taught  the 
gospel  in  the  cities,  the  villages  and  the  country  places,  in 
vigor  and  simplicity. 

Joseph  himself  says  that  the  meeting  with  his  brethren, 
who  had  long  awaited  his  arrival  upon  the  confines  of  civiliza- 
tion, was  a  glorious  one,  moistened  by  many  tears.  It  seemed 
good  and  pleasant  for  brethren  to  meet  in  unity  and  love  after 
the  privations  which,  for  the  sake  of  obeying  the  commands  of 
God,  they  had  endured  since  their  separation. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ON    THE  BORDERS   OF    THE  WILDERNESS — LAYING  .THE  FIRST  LOG- 
DEDICATION    AND    CONSECRATION    OF    THE    LAND    OF    ZION    AND 

THE  TEMPLE  SITE BACK  TO  CIVILIZATION SIGN-SEEKING  AND 

VIOLENCE. 

"WHEN  will  the  wilderness  blossom  as  the  rose?  When  will  Zion  be 
built  up  in  her  glory?  And  where  will  Thy  temple  stand  unto  which  all 
nations  shall  come  in  the  last  days  ?  ' ' 

This  cry  of  the  ancient  prophets  was  repeated  by  the 
Prophet  of  the  last  dispensation  as  he  looked  out  upon  the  wil- 
derness; and  the  Lord  answered  the  supplication  with  words 
of  comfort  and  instruction.  In  a  revelation  given  immediately 
after  Joseph's  arrival  with  his  party  in  July,  1831,  the  Lord 
designated  Independence  and  the  lands  surrounding  as  the 
promised  spot,  appointed  and  consecrated  for  the  gathering  of 
the  Saints.  It  was  the  revealed  purpose  of  the  Almighty  to 
give  to  His  devoted  Saints  an  everlasting  inheritance  in  that 
region.  Independence  was  to  be  the  centre  place  of  Zion,  and 
the  voice  of  the  Lord  indicated  the  exact  spot  upon  which  He 
would  have  a  temple  erected  to  His  glory. 

In  this  "revelation  the  Prophet  and  his  brethren  were 
informed,  also,  concerning  the  division  of  lands  among  the 
Saints,  that  all  might  be  planted  in  their  inheritances ;  and 
special  instruction  was  given  to  such  of  the  Elders  as  were 
required  to  perform  special  duties. 

On  the  first  Sunday  after  the  Prophet  reached  Independ- 
ence, William  W.  Phelps  preached  a  sermon  over  the  western 
boundary  line  of  the  United  States,  Joseph  and  the  other 
Elders  being  present.  The  strangers  in  the  congregation  were 
Indians,  negroes  and  many  white  citizens  who  dwelt  in  the 
borders  of  the  wilderness.  Before  the  meeting  adjourned  two 
believers  were  baptized  into  the  Church. 

Within  a  week  after  this  time  the  members  of  the  Coles- 
ville  branch  of  the  Church,  who  had  been  instructed  to  estab- 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  117 

tl MM n selves  in  the  land  of  Zion,  arrived  at  Independence. 
About  the  first  of  August  the  word  of  the  Lord  was  received, 
in  which  was  made  known  many  of  His  purposes  concerning 
this  land :  that  it  should  be  the  place  upon  which  the  Zion  of 
God  should  stand  and  where  a  feast  of  fat  things  should  be 
prepared  for  the  poor. 

God  promised  that  unto  this  land  all  nations  should  be 
invited: 

"  Firstly,  the  rich  and  the  learned,  the  wise  and  the  noble;  and  after 
that  cometh  the  day  of  niy  power  :  then  shall  the  poor,  the  lame,  and  the 
blind,  and  the  deaf,  come  in  unto  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  and  partake  of 
the  supper  of  the  Lord,  prepared  for  the  great  day  to  come." 

It  was  in  this  revelation  that  the  Lord  made  known  His 
will  concerning  all  rightful  submission  of  His  Saints  to  earthly 
powers.  He  said : 

"Let  no  man  think  he  is  ruler,  but  let- God  rule  him  that  judgeth, 
according  to  the  counsel  of  His  own  will ; 

"Let  no  man  break  the  laws  of  the  land,  for  he  that  keepeth  the  laws 
of  God  hath  no  need  to  break  the  laws  of  the  land  : 

"Wherefore,  be  subject  to  the  powers  that  be,  until  He  reigns  whose 
right  it  is  to  reign,  and  subdues  all  enemies  under  His  feet. 

"Behold  the  laws  which  ye  have  received  from  my  hand  are  the  laws  of 
the  Church,  and  in  this  light  ye  shall  hold  them  forth." 

There  was  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  many,  now  that 
God  had  raised  up  a  Prophet  through  whom  the  word  of  the 
Lord  could  be  given,  to  not  act  upon  their  own  agency,  nor 
even  to  exert  their  own  powers  in  many  directions,  without 
they  received  a  command  from  the  Lord,  or  counsel  from  His 
servant  to  do  so.  The  great  anxiety  of  the  people  to  comply 
with  the  will  of  the  Lord  engendered  this  disposition.  JBut 
there  was  danger  of  this  being  carried  too  far.  The  Prophet 
could,  under  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty,  give  general 
laws  and  counsel  for  the  government  and  guidance  of  the 
Church,  and  as  occasion  might  require,  receive  special  revela- 
tions making  known  to  individuals  the  will  of  the  Lord  con- 
cerning them  and  their  labors.  But  as  the  Church  increased 
in  numbers  there  was  necessarily  a  limit  to  this.  It  was  not 
the  design  of  the  Lord  to  keep  His  people  in  leading-strings ; 
but  to  develop  in  them  the  attributes  of  Deity  inherited  from 


118  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

Himself.  It  was  for  them,  therefore,  to  seek  for  His  inspi- 
ration for  themselves,  and  to  exercise  their  own  faculties, 
ever  subject  to  the  general  laws  which  He  would  give 
through  him  whom  He  had  chosen  as  the  leader  of  His  people. 
Upon  this  subject  His  word  came  to  the  people  at  this 
time  on  this  wise : 

"  For  behold,  it  is  not  meet  that  I  should  command  in  all  things,  for  he 
that  is  compelled  in  all  things,  the  same  is  a  slothful  and  not  a  wise  ser- 
vant ;  wherefore  he  receiveth  no  reward. 

"Verily  I  say,  men  should  be  anxiously  engaged  in  a  good  cause,  and 
do  many  things  of  their  own  free  will,  and  bring  to  pass  much  righteousness; 

"For  the  power  is  in  them,  wherein  they  are  agents  unto  themselves. 
And  inasmuch  as  men  do  good  they  shall  in  nowise  lose  their  reward. 

11  But  he  that  doeth  not  anything  until  he  is  commanded,  and  receiveth 
a  commandment  with  doubtful  heart,  and  keepeth  it  with  slothfulness,  the 
same  is  damned." 

It  was  also  declared  that  by  the  voice  of  Sidney  Bigdon 
the  land  should  be  consecrated  and  dedicated  unto  the  Lord; 
and  that  the  temple  site  should  be  blessed  and  set  apart. 
Further,  the  Lord  commanded  that  Joseph  and  Oliver  and 
Sidney,  after  the  conference  meeting  of  the  Church  at  Inde- 
pendence, should  return  to  Ivirtland  and  pursue  their  work 
there. 

This  revelation  closed  with  the  words : 

"Verily,  thescund  [of  the  gospel]  must  go  forth  from  this  place  into  all 
the  world  and  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth — the  gospel  must  be 
preached  unto  every  creature,  with  signs  following  them  that  believe. 

"And  behold  the  Son  of  Man  cometh." 

The  first  log  for  a  house  as  a  foundation  for  Zion  was  laid 
in  Kaw  Township,  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  twelve  miles 
west  of  Independence,  on  the  2nd  day  of  August,  1831.  In 
honor  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  it  was  carried  and  placed 
in  position  by  twelve  men,  the  Prophet  being  one  of  that 
number.  This  act  was  performed  by  the  Saints  of  the  Coles- 
ville  branch,  whose  settlement  in  this  region  had  been  dictated 
through  revelation  by  the  Almighty ,  and  they  were  directed 
and  assisted  in  the  same  by  Joseph  himself.  On  the  same  day 
Sidney  Rigdon  offered  the  dedicatory  prayer,  in  which  this 
was  consecrated  to  be  the  land  of  Zion,  and  to  be  a  gathering 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  119 

place  of  the  Saints.  The  promise  of  that  inspired  prayer  "will 
yet,"  according  to  the  words  of  the  Prophet,  "  be  unfolded  to 
the  satisfaction  of  the  faithful."  It  seemed  to  Joseph  that 
when  the  curse  should  be  taken  from  this  land  it  would 
become  one  of  the  most  blessed  places  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

On  the  following  day,  the  3d  of  August,  the  spot  for 
the  temple  was  dedicated.  Only  eight  men  were  present,  but 
the  Prophet  says  that  the  scene  was  most  solemn  and  impress- 
ive. The  Elders  who  were  named  by  Joseph  as  having 
been  so  favored  as  to  participate  with  him  in  this  most  import- 
ant work  were  Sidney  Rigdon,  Edward  Partridge,  W.  W. 
Phelps,  Oliver  Cowdery,  Martin  Harris  and  Joseph  Coe. 
The  prayer  of  dedication  was  offered  by  the  Prophet  himself; 
and  his  promises  and  supplications  to  Heaven  upon  that  spot 
have  sanctified  it  for  all  time  and  while  earth  shall  endure. 

On  the  4th  day  of  August,  1831,  the  fifth  conference 
of  the  Church  and  the  first  conference  in  the  land  of  Zion  was 
held  at  the  house  of  Joshua  Lewis,  in  Ka-w  Township.  Joseph 
presided,  and  nearly  if  not  quite  all  of  the  members  of  the 
Church  in  that  region  were  present. 

These  events  which  we  have  described — the  selection  and 
dedication  of  the  centre  place  of  Zion  and  the  spot  upon 
which  the  temple  was  to  be  erected,  the  formal  laying  of  a 
foundation  for  the  first  building,  the  holding  of  a  conference, 

and  the   establishment  of  some  of  the  Saints  in  the  land — 

» 

attracted  but  slight  attention  at  the  time  outside  of  the  little 
circle  of  God's  people.  To  merely  human  eyes,  and  viewed 
from  the  stand-point  of  men  who  had  no  faith  in  the  promises 
of  God,  these  must  have  seemed  insignificant  and,  perhaps, 
contemptible  proceedings  to  be  the  beginning  of  such  great 
works  as  were  predicted.  But  from  the  day  that  land  was 
thus  dedicated,  unshaken  confidence  in  the  perfect  fulfillment 
of  every  promise  made  concerning  it  has  filled  the  heart  ot 
every  faithful  member  of  the  Church.  Towards  it  the  eyes  of 
thousands  upon  thousands  have  been  directed,  around  it  their 
dearest  hopes  for  themselves  and  their  posterity  have  clustered, 
and  their  daily  prayer  has  been  that  the  Lord  would  hasten 
the  redemption  of  Zion  and  build  up.  the  centre  stake  thereof. 


120  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Having  fulfilled  the  requirements  of  the  Almighty,  Joseph 
and  ten  companion  Elders  departed  from  Independence  Land- 
ing on  the  Missouri  River  for  Kirtl and,  Ohio.  It  was  on  the 
9th  day  of  August,  1831,  that  they  started  to  row  down  the 
river  with  a  flotilla  of  sixteen  canoes,  carrying  themselves  and 
their  provisions. 

The  Prophet  departed  on  this  journey  as  cheerfully  as  he 
had  left  the  land  of  civilization  for  'the  wilderness.  If  he 
knew  the  persecution  and  tribulation  into  which  he  was 
advancing,  he  made  no  sign  to  his  fellow  voyagers.  After 
three  days  of  rowing  down  the  Missouri,  Joseph  and  Sidney 
and  Oliver  were  directed  to  journey  by  land  speedily  to  Kirt- 
land,  while  the  seven  others  were  instructed  to  proceed  with 
the  canpes. 

On  the  day  following  this  division,  the  13th  of  August, 
Joseph  met  several  Elders  who  were  on  their  way  to 
Independence.  A  meeting  was  held  at  which  joy  abounded. 
After  this  the  Elders  parted,  the  Prophet  and  his  two  com- 
panions continuing  their  journey  and  the  others  advancing 
toward  the  land  of  Zion. 

It  was  on  the  27th  day  of  August,  1831,  that  the  Prophet 
with  Sidney  and  Oliver  reached  Kirtland.  During  their 
eventful  absence  they  had  enjoyed  the  Spirit  of  inspiration  to 
a  great  extent  and  had  witnessed  many  manifestations  of  God's 
power.  Their  faith  had  been  strengthened,  and  the  purposes 
of  the  Almighty  had  been  made  more  clear  to  their  compre- 
hension. They  had  also  gained  greater  knowledge  of  the 
effort  which  Satan  was  making  to  hide  the  light  from  the  eyes 
of  mankind.  The  Lord  had  said  to  them : 

"  Ye  are  blessed,  for  the  testimony  which  ye  have  borne  is  recorded  in 
heaven  for  the  angels  to  look  upon,  and  they  rejoice  for  you." 

After  the  return  of  the  Elders  to  Kirtland  the  Saints 
sought  most  earnestly  for  further  instruction  concerning  Zion 
and  the  gathering;  and  Joseph  received  a  revelation  in  which 
many  things  were  made  plain  upon  these  subjects,  and  they 
were  shown  the  proper  manner  of  securing  the  land  of  Zion 
to  the  best  advantage. 

There  had  been  some  seeking  after  signs,  and  the  Lord  said : 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  121 

"Wherefore,  verily  I  say  let  the  wicked  take  heed,  and  let  the  rebell- 
ious fear  and  tremble ;  and  let  the  unbelieving  hold  their  lips,  for  the  day  of 
wrath  shall  come  upon  them  as  a  whirlwind,  and  all  flesh  shall  know  that  I 
am  God. 

44  And  he  that  seeketh  shall  see  signs,  but  not  unto  salvation. 

"But  behold,  faith  cometh  not  by  signs,  but  signs  follow  them  that 
believe." 

The  ensuing  few  days  were  spent  in  earnest  labor  among 
the  Saints  in  Kirtland,  many  of  whom  were  preparing  to  go 
up  to  Zion  hoping  to  start  in  the  coming  October.  Joseph 
and  Sidney  were  making  ready  to  remove  to  the  town  of 
Hiram  in  Portage  County,  Ohio,  where  the  Prophet  intended 
to  re-engage  in  the  work  of  translating  the  Bible.  On  the 
12th  day  of  September,  1831,  Joseph  departed  from  Kirtland 
to  take  up  his  abode  at  Hiram ;  and  here  he  encountered  anew 
and  in  violence  the  malicious  spirit  which,  too  often,  accom- 
panies those  who  seek  after  signs. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  METHODIST  PRIEST  CONVERTED  BY  A  MIRACLE WANTS  POWER  TO 

SMITE THE    PROPHET  AT  HIRAM  ENGAGED  IN  TRANSLATING 

ORDER    FOR    PUBLICATION    OF    "THE    EVENING    AND     MORNING 
STAR  " MAN-MADE  COMMANDMENTS. 

JOSEPH  had  learned  and  taught  to  his  brethren  that  the 
mission  of  the  gospel  was  to  bring  peace  and  salvation  to  all 
mankind.  He  himself  ministered  in  the  utmost  humility 
among  the  Saints  as  well  as  among  strangers,  for  he  was  well 
aware  that  faith,  meekness,  patience  and  tribulation  went 
before  blessing,  and  that  God  required  lowliness  of  heart 
before  He  exalted  men;  but  the  lesson  which  was  so  plain  to 
him  was  never  learned  by  some  who  became  associated  with 
the  Church  in  that  early  day.  One  of  the  first  of  those  who 
sought  for  signs  was  Ezra  Booth,  a  man  who  had  been  a 


122  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

Methodist  priest  and  had  become  suddenly  converted  to  the 
gospel  by  seeing  a  miracle  performed.  Soon  afterwards  he 
asked  that  he  might  be  granted  power  of  God  to  smite  men 
and  make  them  believe  the  gospel  of  Christ.  His  conversion 
had  been  by  a  sign,  and  he  sought  to  minister  by  means  of 
signs.  He  wanted  to  go  forth  with  the  power  to  bless  in  one 
hand  and  the  power  to  curse  in  the  other,  and  save  souls  after 
a  fashion  he  thought  would  be  successful,  and  entirely  differ- 
ent from  the  way  ordained  by  the  Lord.  Early  in  the  month 
of  September,  1831,  Ezra  Booth  became  disappointed  and 
yielded  to  the  spirit  of  apostasy.  Later  he  wrote  a  series  of 
false  and  malignant  letters  which  aroused  hatred  against 
Joseph  and  the  cause,  and  which  culminated  in  a  murderous 
attack. 

It  was  on  the  12th  day  of  September,  1831,  that  the 
Prophet  took  up  his  abode  with  his  family  at  Hiram,  Portage 
County,  Ohio,  at  the  residence  of  John  Johnson,  a  member  of 
the  Church,  and  father  to  Luke  S.  and  Lyman  E.  Johnson, 
who  afterwards  were  chosen  to  be  two  of  the  Twelve  Apostles. 
His  daughter  Marinda  was  the  wife  of  Orson  Hyde,  another 
of  the  Twelve.  Hiram  was  about  thirty  miles  in  a  south-east- 
erly direction  from  Kirtland.  His  first  work  was  the  prepar- 
ation to  continue  the  translation  of  the  Bible.  In  the  mean- 
time, conferences  were  held  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  was 
received.  At  the  first  conference  held  at  the  house  where 
Joseph  resided,  October  11,  1831,  it  was  decided  that  William 
"W.  Phelps  should  go  to  Missouri,  and  on  his  way,  at  Cincin- 
nati, should  purchase  a  press  and  type  for  the  publication  of  a 
paper  at  Independence,  to  be  called  The  Evening  and  Morning 
Star.  This  conference  was  adjourned  until  the  25th  day  of 
that  month  to  meet  at  the  house  of  Serems  Burnett,  in  Orange, 
Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio.  During  the  interval  certain  Elders 
were  designated  and  directed  to  go  forth  among  the  other 
branches  of  the  Church  and  collect  means  to  aid  the  Prophet 
and  Sidney  Bigdon,  while  engaged  in  the  translation  of  the 
Scriptures. 

At  Orange,  there  were  in  attendance  at  the  adjourned 
conference  twelve  High  Priests,  seventeen  Elders,  four  Priests,, 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  123 

three  Teachers  and  four  Deacons,  in  addition  to  a  large  con- 
gregation of  other  members. 

While  at  Orange  William  E.  McLellin,  one  of  the  prom- 
inent Elders,  desired  the  Prophet  to  obtain  the  will  of  the 
Lord  concerning  him.  Joseph  complied,  and  through  the 
word  of  the  Lord  which  came  as  an  answer  to  his  prayer, 
William  E.  McLellin  received  much  encouragement  for  what 
he  had  done;  but  he  was  commanded  to  repent  of  some  things 
and  was  warned  against  adultery,  a  sin  to  which,  it  appears, 
he  was  inclined.  He  was  promised  great  blessings  if  he  should 
overcome.  This  instruction,  direct  from  the  Almighty,  seemed 
to  affect  him  for  a  time,  but  the  words  did  not  sink  deep  into 
his  heart,  because  he  soon  rebelled  and  attempted  to  bring 
reproach  upon  the  Church  of  Christ.  He  joined  with  others 
in  whom  the  spirit  of  discontent  was  brooding,  to  find  fault 
with  the  revelations  of  the  Lord  which  Joseph  received. 

When  the  Prophet  returned  to  Hiram,  the  Lord  con- 
demned the  folly  and  pride  of  McLellin  and  his  sympathizers, 
and  said  to  them  that  they  might  seek  out  of  the  book  of  com- 
mandments, even  the  least  of  the  revelations,  and  appoint  the 
wisest  man  among  them  to  make  one  like  unto  it  from  his 
own  knowledge.  Filled  with  vanity  and  self-conceit,  McLellin 
sacrilegiously  essayed  to  write  a  commandment  in  rivalry  ot 
those  bestowed  direct  from  God  upon  the  Church.  But  he 
failed  miserably  in  his  audacious  effort,  to  the  chagrin  and 
humiliation  of  himself  and  his  fellows.  The  attempt  was  not 
without  its  benefits,  however,  for  the  Saints  were  enabled  to 
recognize  the  difference  between  the  works  of  God  and  the 
presumptuous  efforts  of  men.  Upon  this  subject  the  Lord 
had  said  that  the  Elders  should  be  under  condemnation  if  they 
failed  to  bear  record  of  the  truth  of  His  commandments, 
should  the  one  who  attempted  to  imitate  them  not  succeed  in 
his  effort;  "for,"  He  said,  "ye  know  there  is  no  unrighteous- 
ness in  them,  and  that  which  is  righteous  cometh  down  from 
above,  from  the  Father  of  lights."  The  Elders  obeyed  this 
behest  of  the  Lord  and  declared  in  strength  and  power  their 
absolute  knowledge  that  the  revelations  which  had  been 
bestowed  upon  the  Church  were  from  God. 


124  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

The  Prophet  held  many  special  conferences  during  Octo- 
ber and  November,  1831,  with  different  branches  of  the 
Church.  He  also  pursued  his  work  of  translating  the  Bible, 
Sidney  Rigdon  writing  at  his  dictation.  Important  revelations 
continued  to  be  received  for  the  comfort  of  the  Saints.  On 
the  3rd  day  of  November  the  commandment  now  known  and 
published  in  the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants  as  the 
"Appendix"  was  given  to  the  Prophet  at  Hiram.  Some  of  its 
sublime  passages  are  as  follow: 

"  Hearken  and  hear,  0  ye  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  Listen  ye  elders  of 
njy  Church  together,  and  hear  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  for  he  calleth  upon  all 
men,  and  he  commandeth  all  men  everywhere  to  repent ; 

"  For,  behold,  the  Lord  Grod  hath  sent  fb'th  the  angel  crying  through 
the  mid>-t  of  heaven,  f-aying,  prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  and  make  his 
paths  straight,  for  the  hour  of  his  coming  is  nigh, 

"When  the  Lamb  shall  stand  upon  Mount  Zion,  and  with  Him  a  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  thousand,  having  his  Father's  name  written  on  their 
foreheads : 

"  Wherefore,  prepare  ye  for  the  coming  of  the  Bridegroom  ;  go  ye,  go 
ye  out  to  meet  him, 

"For  behold,  he  shall  stand  upon  the  Mount  of  Olivet,  and  upon  the 
mighty  ocean,  even  the  great  deep,  and  upon  the  islands  of  the  sea,  and 
upon  the  land  of  Zion ; 

"And  he  shall  utter  his  voice  out  of  Zion,  and  he  shall  speak  from 
Jerusalem  and  his  voice  shall  be  heard  among  all  people, 

"  And  it  shall  be  the  voice  as  of  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the 
voice  of  great  thunder,  which  shall  break  down  the  mountains,  and  the  val- 
leys shall  not  be  found  ; 

"  He  shall  command  the  great  deep,  and  it  shall  be  driven  back  into  the 
north  countries,  and  the  islands  shall  become  one  land, 

''And  the  land  of  Jerusalem  and  the  land  of  Zion  shall  be  turned  back 
into  their  own  place,  and  the  earth  shall  be  like  as  it  was  in  the  days  before 
it  was  divided. 

"And  the  Lord  even  the  Savior,  shall  st-md  in  the  midst  of  his  people, 
and  shall  reign  over  all  flesh. 

'"  And  they  who  are  in  the  north  countries  shall  come  in  remembrance 
before  the  Lord,  and  their  prophets  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  no  longer 
stay  themselves,  and  they  shall  smite  the  rocks,  and  the  ice  shall  flow  down 
at  their  presen  -e. 

"  And  an  highway  shall  be  cast  up  in  the  midst  of  the  great  deep. 

"Their  enemies  shall  become  a  prey  unto  them. 

"And  in  the  barren  desert  there  shall  come  forth  pools  of  living  water  ; 
and  the  parched  ground  shall  no  longer  be  a  thirty  land. 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  1  '1  "> 

"And  they  shall  bring  forth  their  rich  treasures  unto  the  children  of 
E|  hraini  nay  servants. 

"And  the  boundaries  of  the  everlasting  hills  shall  tremble  at  their 
presence. 

"  And  there  shall  they  fall  down  and  be  crowned  with  glory,  even  in 
Zion,  by  the  hands  of  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  even  the  children  of 
Ephraim  ; 

''And  they  shall  be  filled  with  songs  of  everlasting  joy. 

"  Behold,  this  is  the  blessing  of  the  everlasting  God  upon  the  tribes  of 
Israel,  and  the  richer  blessing  upon  the  head  of  Ephraim  and  his  fellows. 

"  And  they  also  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  after  their  pain,  shall  be  sancti- 
fied in  holiness  before  the  Lord  to  dwell  in  his  presence,  day  and  night,  for 
ever  and  ever. 

"  And  now,  verily  saith  the  Lord,  That  these  things  might  be  known 
among  you,  0  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  I  have  sent  forth  mine  angel,  flying 
through  the  midst  of  heaven,  having  the  everlasting  gospel,  who  hath 
appeared  unto  seme,  and  hath  committed  it  unto  man,  who  shall  appear 
unto  many  who  dwell  on  the  earth  ; 

"And  this  gospel  shall  be  preached  unto  every  nation,  and  kindied,  and 
tongue,  and  people, 

"And  the  servants  of  God  shall  go  forth,  saying,  with  a  loud  voice, 
Fear  God  and  give  glory  to  him,  for  the  hour  ot  his  judgment  is  come  : 


"  And  unto  him  that  repenteth  and  sanctifieth  himself  before  the  Lord, 
shall  be  given  eternal  life  ; 

"And  upon  them  that  hearken  not  to  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  shall  be 
fulfilled  that  which  was  written  by  the  prophet  Moses,  that  they  should  be 
cut  off  from  among  the  people. 

"And  also  that  which  was  written  by  the  prophet  Malachi ;  "for, 
behold,  the  day  cometh  that  shall  burn  as  an  oven,  and  all  the  proud,  yea, 
and  all  that  do  wickedly,  shall  be  stubble  ;  and  the  day  that  cometh  shall 
burn  them  up  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  that  it  shall  leave  them  neither  root 
nor  branch. 

"  Wherefore,  this  shall  be  the  answer  of  the  Lord  unto  them  : 

"  In  that  day  when  I  came  unto  my  own,  no  man  among  you  received 
me,  and  you  were  driven  out. 

"When  I  called  again,  there  was  none  of  you  to  answer,  yet  my  arm 
was  not  shortened  at  all,  that  I  could  not  redeem,  neither  my  power  to 
deliver. 

"Behold,  at  my  rebuke  I  dry  up  the  sea.  I  make  the  rivers  a  wilder- 
ness ;  their  fish  stinketh,  and  dieth  for  thirst. 

"I  clothe  the  heavens  with  blackness,  and  make  sackcloth  their  cover- 
ing. 

"  And  this  shall  ye  have  of  my  hand, — ye  shall  lay  down  in  sorrow. 


126  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

"  Behold  and  lo,  there  are  none  to  deliver  you,  for  ye  obeyed  not  my 
voice  when  I  called  to  you  out  of  the  heavens ;  ye  believed  not  my  servants, 
and  when  they  were  sent  unto  you  ye  received  them  not ; 

"  Wherefore  they  sealed  up  the  testimony  and  bound  up  the  law,  and  ye 
were  delivered  over  unto  darkness  ; 

"These  shall  go  away  into  outer  darkness,  where  there  is  weeping,  and 
wailing,  and  gnashing  of  teeth  ' ' 

In  November  Joseph  arranged  the  commandments  of  the 
Lord  to  the  Church  which  he  had  received,  in  their  proper 
order,  and  sent  them  up  into  Missouri  by  the  hands  of  Oliver 
Cowdery  and  John  Whitmer,  the  purpose  being  to  issue  a 
printed  edition  of  them  for  their  dissemination  among  the 
Saints. 

Though  the  translating  of  the  Scriptures  occupied  his  at- 
tention at  this  time,  yet  the  Prophet  was  not  permitted  to  con- 
fine himself  entirely  to  this  labor;  he  was  often  required  to  go 
out  and  preach  the  gospel.  Sidney  Bigdon  accompanied  him, 
and  wherever  they  went  they  overcame  all  opposition,  con- 
founding their  enemies  by  a  simple  declaration  of  the  truth 
and  putting  to  shame  such  of  the  sectarian  preachers  as 
opposed  them. 

On  the  4th  day  of  December,  1831,  while  the  Prophet 
was  at  Kirtland,  Newel  K.  Whitney  was  called  by  revelation 
from  the  Lord,  to  be  a  Bishop  in  that  part  of  the  vineyard, 
and  his  duties  in  that  important  oifice  were  specified. 

Ezra  Booth  had  succeeded  in  securing  space  in  the  columns 
of  the  Ohio  /SYar,  in  which  to  publish  his  slanderous  denuncia- 
tions and  falsehoods  concerning  Joseph  and  the  Church.  In 
replying  to  these,  and  in  vindicating  the  people  against  them, 
the  Prophet  and  Sidney  Rigdon  were  closely  occupied  for 
some  weeks.  Satan  was  busy  arousing  enmity  and  he  used  the 
apostate  Booth  and  others  as  his  instruments  to  provoke  per- 
secution. They  were  successful  in  filling  the  minds  of  many 
with  darkness  and  prejudice;  but  Joseph  and  Sidney  wherever 
they  appeared  were  enabled  to  allay  much  of  the  excited  feel- 
ing of  bigotry. 

At  Hiram  on  the  16th  day  of  February,  1832,  the  "vision" 
which  is  recorded  in  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  section  76, 
— one  of  the  grandest  revelations  given  by  God  to  man,  in 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  127 

which  the  different  degrees  of  glory  held  in  reserve  by  the 
Almightv  for  His  children  and  the  dreadful  fate  which  awaits 
the  sons  of  perdition,  were  described  with  felicitous  clearness — 
was  given  to  Joseph  and  Sidney  Eigdon.  In  writing  this 
vision  they  leave  this  momentous  testimony: 

"And  now,  after  the  many  testimonies  which  have  been  given  of  him, 
[Jesus  Christ]  this  is  the  testimony  last  of  all,  which  we  give  of  him,  that 
he  lives ; 

'*  For  we  saw  him,  even  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  we  heard  the  voice 
bearing  record  that  he  is  the  Only  Begotten  of  the  Father — 

"  That  by  him  and  through  him,  and  of  him  the  worlds  are  and  were 
created,  and  the  inhabitants  thereof  are  begotten  sons  and  daughters  unto 
God." 

As  the  numerical  strength  of  the  Church  increased,  the 
Lord  renewed  His  instruction  concerning  the  welfare  of  the 
poor  of  His  people.  In  a  revelation  given  in  the  month  of 
March,  1832,  it  was  declared  that  a  storehouse  must  be  estab- 
lished for  the  needy  among  the  Saints.  This  revelation  also 
declared  the  Lord's  will  and  purpose  to  yet  establish  a  city  in 
the  land  of  Zion  to  secure  equality  of  earthly  blessings  among 
the  Saints. 

The  wondrous  enlightenment  wrought  by  the  revelations 
and  the  instructions  of  the  past  year  had  been  shared  by  Joseph 
with  his  brethren.  Nor  did  the  knowledge  of  the  great  work 
stop  with  the  Prophet  and  the  believers.  It  extended  to  the  oppo- 
nents of  the  Almighty's  purposes,  and  they  were  stirred  up  to 
intensity  of  hate.  The  wider  the  influence  of  the  Prophet  and 
his  mission,  the  greater  the  scope  of  salvation  thus  ordained, 
the  fiercer  flamed  out  the  fire  of  persecution.  The  murderous 
spirit  of  evil  which  had  followed  close  upon  Joseph's  footsteps 
for  several  years  threw  its  shadow  on  his  humble  home  at 
Hiram.  He  had  received  a  letter  from  Missouri  announcing 
the  arrival  of  the  brethren  at  Independence  and  containing  a 
prospectus  for  The  Evening  and  Morning  Star;  and  he  was  mak- 
ing preparation  to  visit  the ,  land  of  Zion  when  the  fury  of 
mobocratic  violence  broke  loose  upon  him. 

During  his  residence  at  Father  Johnson's  he  had  held 
many  meetings  in  the  evenings  and  on  the  Sabbath  and  had 
baptized  a  number  of  persons.  Olmsted  Johnson,  a  son  of 


128  JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET. 

father  Johnson  who  had  come  upon  a  visit,  heard  the  gospel 
from  Joseph's  lips;  but  the  young  man  would  not  accept  it. 
Joseph  was  led  to  warn  him  that  if  he  rejected  the  truth,  and 
should  depart  without  obeying  the  requirements  of  the  gospel, 
he  would  never  return  nor  see  his  father's  face  more  in  this 
life.  Olmsted  was  obdurate  and  left  Hiram  for  the  Southern 
States  and  Mexico.  On  his  journey  homeward  he  was  stricken 
with  illness  in  Virginia  and  died  there — a  literal  fulfillment  of 
the  warning  he  had  received. 

Ezra  Booth  exerted  a  baleful  influence  upon  three  others 
of  the  Johnson  boys  who  had  already  accepted  the  gospel,  and 
they  grew  weak  in  the  faith;  and  finally,  together  with 
Simonds  Rider,  apostatized  and  opposed  the  Prophet. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

A  NIGHT  OF  FURY — THE  MURDEROUS  MOB  AT  HIRAM — JOSEPH 
DRAGGED  FROM  HIS  BED,  AND  IS  STRIPPED,  BRUISED  AND 
ALMOST  SLAIN  BY  A  PROFANE  AND  DRUNKEN  CROWD  LED 
BY  APOSTATES  AND  SECTARIAN  MINISTERS. 

WHEN  the  Prophet  went  to  Hiram,  he  carried  with  him  twin 
children,  the  offspring  of  John  Murdock,  which  Emma 
adopted  when  they  were  nine  days  old,  intending  to  rear 
them  in  place  of  twin  children  of  her  own  which  had  died. 
These  babes  were  now  eleven  months  old.  On  the  25th  ot 
March  they  were  very  ill,  and  the  Prophet  and  his  wife  were 
anxiously  nursing  them  and  getting  only  a  little  broken  rest. 
At  a  late  hour  of  the  night  Joseph  was  lying  down  and  slum- 
bering heavily  from  weariness,  when  Emma  heard  a  gentle 
tapping  on  the  window.  Her  senses  were  dulled  by  sleepiness, 
and  she  paid  little  attention  to  the  noise  arid  made  no  inquiry 
nor  investigation.  A  few  moments  later  an  infuriated  mob 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  129 

lnirst  tin'  door  open  and  surrounded  the  bed  whereon  Joseph 
lav  in  deep  slumber.  Ten  or  twelve  of  them  had  seized  him. 
and  were  dragging  him  from  the  house,  when  Emma 
screamed.  The  cry  awakened  the  Prophet,  and  in  an  instant 
he  realized  his  position.  As  they  were  taking  him  through 
tlu«  door  he  made  a  desperate  struggle  to  release  himself. 
Getting  a  limb  clear  for  a  moment  he  kicked  one  of  the  mob 
with  such  force  as  to  fell  the  wretch  to  the  ground.  But 
before  Joseph  could  bring  his  superior  physical  powers  to 
bear,  he  was  confined  again  within  the  grasp  of  numerous 
hands;  and  with  a  torrent  of  oaths,  in  which  the  mobbers 
profaned  the  name  of  Deity,  they  declared  that  they  would 
kill  him  if  he  did  not  cease  his  struggles.  As  they  started 
around  the  house  with  him,  the  mobocrat  whom  he  had 
kicked  came  thrusting  his  bloody  hands  into  the  Prophet's 
face  and  shrieked  at  him  with  frightful  execrations.  Then 
they  seized  his  throat  and  choked  him  until  he  ceased  to 
breathe.  When  he  recovered  his  senses  from  this  inhuman 
attack  he  was  nearly  a  furlong  from  the  house,  and  there  he 
saw  Sidney  Rigdon  stretched  upon  the  ground  where  the  mob 
had  dragged  him  by  the  heels.  The  Prophet  thought  that  his 
companion  was  dead. 

These  fiendish  men  continued  to  curse  him  and  to  blas- 
pheme the  name  of  Deity.  They  told  him  to  ask  his  God  for 
help  for  they  would  give  him  none.  They  then  dragged  him 
nearly  another  furlong  into  a  meadow  and  began  calling  to 
each  other,  continuing,  however,  to  utter  threats  and  oaths  at 
him.  By  this  time  many  additions  had  been  made  to  their 
number.  One  cried  out  asking  if  Joseph  was  not  to  be  killed. 
A  group  gathered  at  a  little  distance  to  hold  a  council  and  fix 
upon  the  Prophet's  fate ;  while  several  of  the  number  held 
him  suspended  in  the  air  lest  his  person  should  touch  the 
ground  and  thereby  give  him  an  opportunity  to  get  a  spring 
and  wrench  himself  loose.  After  the  council  was  concluded, 
the  leading  mobocrats  declared  that  they  would  not  kill  him 
but  would  strip  him  naked  and  whip  and  tear  his  flesh.  One 
cried  out  for  a  tar  bucket  and  when  it  was  brought  another 
exclaimed  with  a  wicked  oath,  "  Let  us  tar  up  his  mouth !" 


130  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

They  thrust  a  reeking  tar  paddle  into  his  face  and  attempted 
to  force  it  down  his  throat,  but  he  kept  his  teeth  tightly 
clenched.  Then  they  tried  to  force  a  phial  containing  aqua- 
fortis into  his  mouth,  but  it  broke  between  his  lips.  Not  con- 
tent with  inflicting  all  this  violence  upon  the  Prophet's  help- 
less form,  one  of  the  inhuman  wretches,  as  though  he  was  a 
devil  incarnate,  fell  upon  him  and  began  to  tear  like  a  wildcat, 
at  the  same  time  screaming  with  a  curse,  "  That's  the  wray  the 
Holy  Ghost  falls  on  folks  !  " 

While  the  mob  were  bruising  him  they  mentioned  two 
names  that  were  familiar  to  him,  "  Simonds  "  and  "Eli." 

After  they  left  Joseph,  he  attempted  to  rise  but  fell  back 
again  from  pain  and  exhaustion.  He  succeeded,  however,  in 
tearing  the  tar  away  from  his  face  so  that  he  could  breathe 
freely  and  shortly  afterward  he  began  to  recover.  Arising,  he 
made  his  way  toward  a  light  and  found  that  it  was  from  the 
house  of  Father  Johnson  where  he  lived.  Emma  saw  his 
bruised  form  covered  with  tar  and  thinking  him  to  be  fatally 
mangled  she  screamed  and  fainted. 

Securing  some  covering  for  his  person,  the  Prophet 
entered  the  house  and  spent  the  night  in  cleansing  his  body 
and  dressing  his  wounds. 

Before  making  the  assault  upon  Joseph  the  mob  had 
locked  Father  Johnson  in  his  room.  He  had  called  for  his 
wife  to  bring  his  gun,  saying  that  he  would  blow  a  hole 
through  the  door ;  and  at  this  the  mob  fled.  As  soon  as  he 
could  force  an  egress,  Father  Johnson  rushed  from  the  house, 
seizing  a  club  as  he  ran.  He  overtook  the  party  which  had 
captured  Sidney  Bigdon,  and  knocked  one  man  down  and  was 
about  to  smite  another  to  the  earth  when  the  mob  deserted 
their  first  victim  to  attack  the  heroic  old  man.  This  diversion 
saved  Sidney  only  for  a  brief  time ;  the  mob  soon  returned  to 
him  and  inflicted  serious  pain  and  indignity  upon  him.  They 
dragged  him  by  his  heels  and  left  his  head  to  strike  upon  the 
rough  and  frozen  ground.  By  such  barbarous  treatment  his 
scalp  was  lacerated  and  his  body  bruised,  and  he  was  driven  into 
a  delirium. 

The  next  morning,  being  the  Sabbath,  the  people  assem- 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  131 

bled  at  the  usual  hour  of  worship.  With  them  came  some  of 
the  mobbers,  Simonds  Eider,  an  apostate  and  Campbellite 
preacher,  leader  of  the  mob;  one  McClentic,  son  of  a  Camp- 
bellite minister;  and  Pelatiah  Allen,  Esq.,  who  had  given  the 
mob  a  barrel  of  whisky  to  fill  them  with  the  devilish  daring 
necessary  for  their  crime.  Many  others  of  the  mob  were  also 
in  attendance. 

With  his  flesh  all  bruised  and  scarred,  Joseph  went  to  the 
meeting  and  stood  before  the  congregation,  facing  his  assailants 
of  the  previous  night  calmly  and  manfully.  He  preached  a 
powerful  sermon  and  on  the  same  day  baptized  three  believers 
into  the  Church. 

This  mob  was  chiefly  composed  of  religious  men,  prin- 
cipally sanctimonious  Campbellites,  Methodists  and  Baptists, 
besides  several  apostates  from  the  Church.  They  continued  to 
watch  the  house  of  Father  Johnson,  and  even  the  death  of  one 
of  the  helpless  little  children,  which  occurred  on  the  Friday 
following  from  the  exposures  of  the  night  of  the  attack,  could 
not  dissuade  the  demoniac  men  from  their  purpose.  Indeed 
the  death  of  this  poor  little  infant  seemed  to  act  upon  them 
like  a  taste  of  blood  upon  a  tiger.  It  drove  them  to  a  murder- 
ous frenzy.  The  spirit  .of  mobocracy  spread  through  all  that 
region  of  country  and  was  particularly  fierce  at  Kirtland. 
Sidney  Bigdon  fled  to  the  latter  city  from  Hiram  taking  his  sick 
family;  but  after  a  brief  rest  was  compelled  to  again  flee  and 
went  to  Chardon.  The  Prophet  himself  remained  in  Hiram 
during  another  week. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

DEPARTURE  OF  THE  PROPHET  FROM    HIRAM    FOR    THE    CONSECRATED 

LAND  IN  MISSOURI ACCEPTED  AS  THE  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  HIGH 

PRIESTHOOD RETURNING     FROM    ZION,  AN    ATTEMPT    IS    MADE 

TO    POISON     HIM SAVED     UNDER    BISHOP    WHITNEY'S    ADMIN- 
ISTRATION. 

ON  the  2nd  day  of  April,  1832,  Joseph  started  from  Hiram 
for  Missouri.  He  was  carried  by  Elder  George  Pitkin  in  the 
latter's  wagon  to  Stubenville,  whence  the  Prophet  and  Sidney, 
who  had  joined  him  in  the  meantime,  took  passage  on  Wednes- 
day, the  5th  of  April,  1832,  on  hoard  a  steamboat  for  Wheel- 
ing, then  in  the  state  of  Virginia. 

After  departing  from  Hiram,  Joseph  directed  his  wife  to 
go  to  Kirtland  and  await  his  return;  and  this  she  did,  finding 
help  and  consolation  with  his  friends. 

From  Wheeling  he  soon  resumed  his  journey  toward  Zion 
and  reached  there  on  the  24th  day  of  April,  1832. 

Two  days  later,  in  a  solemn  assemblage  of  the  Church, 
Joseph  was  sustained  as  President  of  the  High  Priesthood. 
Bishop  Edward  Partridge  extended  the  right  hand  of  fellow- 
ship and  recognition  to  Joseph  in  the  office  to  which  he  had 
been  elected,  and  the  Saints  ratified  the  deed  in  an  impressive 
and  unanimous  manner. 

The  Prophet  found  the  Saints  in  Zion  surrounded  by 
people  filled  with  the  spirit  of  murder  and  rapine,  and  he 
sought  with  all  the  vigor  and  faith  of  his  soul  to  unite  the 
people  in  the  bonds  of  love  and  mutual  trust  and  help,  that 
thus  they  might  be  enabled  to  withstand  the  assaults  of  their 
enemies.  It  was  characteristic  of  him  and  of  the  revealed  work 
that  he  should  teach  his  brethren  at  this  hour,  as  always  before 
and  always  after  until  the  hour  of  his  death,  the  potency  of 
union.  His  purpose  was  then,  as  ever,  to  show  the  Saints  the 
strength  of  a  passive  defence,  coupled  with  kindness  toward  all 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  133 

humanity.  Joseph  had  the  personal  strength  and  courage 
which,  when  not  controlled  by  some  mighty  influence,  make  a 
mail  ambitious  to  overcome  and  punish  any  cruel  foe  by  the 
arm  of  flesh,  and  yet  in  all  his  sufferings  and  ministrations  he 
never  advised  or  permitted  any  aggression  upon  the  law  or  any 
insult  to  rightful  authority. 

The  Prophet  visited  the  Saints  in  Kaw  Township  and  was 
received  with  delight.  The  people  there  loved  him  and 
rejoiced  in  his  presence  and  in  his  teachings. 

On  the  1st  day  of  May,  1832,  the  council  of  the  Elders  was 
continued  at  Independence,  and  the  order  was  made  that  three 
thousand  copies  of  the  "Book  of  Commandments"  should  be 
printed. 

Five  days  later,  Joseph  departed  from  Independence  for 
Kirtland  in  company  with  Sidney  Eigdon  and  Newel  K. 
Whitney.  On  their  return  Bishop  "Whitney,  while  attempting 
to  jump  from  the  coach  as  the  horses  were  running  away,  had 
his  leg  and  foot  broken  in  several  places.  Joseph  had  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  out  unhurt,  and  he  took  the  Bishop  to  a  pub- 
lic house  at  Greenville,  Indiana,  remaining  with  him  there 
while  Sidney  went  forward  to 'Kirtland.  Four  weeks  elapsed 
and  still  Newel  was  unable  to  proceed.  Several  times  during 
that  period,  when  the  Prophet  walked  into  the  adjoining 
woods  he  saw  newly  made  graves ;  and  one  day  at  dinner  he 
was  seized  with  a  spasm  caused  by  poison  which  had  been 
administered  to  him  in  his  food  with  murderous  intent.  He 
rushed  to  the  door  and  quantities  of  blood  and  poisonous  mat- 
ter gushed  from  his  mouth.  The  muscular  contortion  induced 
by  the  agony  was  so  great  that  his  jaw  was  dislocated.  When 
the  convulsion  had  partially  passed,  he  wrenched  his  jaw  back 
to  its  place  with  his  own  hands,  and  made  his  way  to  the  couch 
of  Bishop  Whitney  as  speedily  as  possible.  The  Bishop 
administered  to  him  and  he  was  healed  instantly,  although  the 
poison  had  been  so  quick  and  strong  in  its  effect  as  to  loosen 
the  hair  upon  his  head. 

The  Prophet  felt  that  they  must  flee  from  this  spot  at  once 
and  asked  his  helpless  brother  to  promise  that  he  would  be 
ready  to  start  for  Kirtland  the  next  morning.  Joseph  declared 


134  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

to  Bishop  Whitney  that  if  he  would  agree  to  this  plan  a  wagon 
should  be  in  waiting  the  next  morning  to  transport  them  to 
the  river  bank  where  they  should  find  a  ferry-boat  to  take  them 
quickly  across.  On  the  other  side  they  should  meet  a  carriage 
ready  to  convey  them  directly  to  the  boat  landing.  Here  a 
steamer  should  be  ready  to  start,  and  at  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning  they  should  be  steaming  up  the  river.  When  the 
Prophet  was  led  to  make  this  prediction,  no  arrangements  had 
been  made,  neither  were  there  any  afterwards  made  by  him  to 
carry  out  this  programme  of  travel.  But  animated  by  faith, 
Bishop  Whitney  gave  his  promise,  and  Joseph  remained  with 
him  all  night.  Early  the  next  morning  they  departed,  and  at 
ten  o'clock,  after  having  found  the  way  opened  exactly  as  the 
Prophet  was  led  to  promise,  they  were  sailing  up  the  river, 
with  the  Bishop's  limb  sound  enough  to  bear  the  journey  with- 
out pain. 

It  was  June,  1832,  when  they  arrived  at  Kirtland  where 
Joseph  found  his  wife  awaiting  him. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG  RECEIVES  THE  GOSPEL HIS    MEMORABLE  MEETING 

WITH    THE    PROPHET HIS    CONSTANT    DEVOTION "  THAT  MAN 

WILL    YET    PRESIDE    OVER    THE    CHURCH" — A    REVELATION  ON 

PRIESTHOOD JOSEPH    VISITS      THE     EASTERN     STATES HIS 

NUMEROUS  LABORS PROPHECY  CONCERNING  THE  CIVIL  WAR 

ITS  SUBSEQUENT  FULFILLMENT. 

WHILE  the  Prophet  was  on  his  way  to  Missouri  in  the  month 
of  April,  1832,  an  event  occurred  afar  off  in  Mendon,  Monroe 
County,  New  York,  which  was  the  forerunner  of  mighty  help 
to  Joseph  and  strength  to  the  Church.  It  was  the  baptism  of 
Brigham  Young  on  the  14th  day  of  April,  1832,  by  Elder 
Eleazer  Miller.  This  destined  successor  of  the  Prophet  had 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  135 

heard  and  accepted  the  truth.  His  sincerity  and  force  of  char- 
acter were  visible  at  his  conversion,  and  after  his  confirmation  at 
the  water's  edge  as  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, 
he  was  ordained  on  the  same  day  to  the  Melchisedec  Priest- 
hood. 

In  the  month  of  June  when  Joseph  returned  to  Kirtland 
from  Missouri  he  met  and  gave  the  hand  of  fellowship  to 
Brigham  Young,  who  had  journeyed  to  Kirtland  to  hear  the 
voice  of  the  Prophet  of  God.  A  most  memorable  meeting 
was  this  of  these  two  men  whose  names  and  fame  were  to 
become  so  indissolubly  united !  Of  all  the  men  of  their  gen- 
eration they  were  to  be  the  most  loved  and  hated,  their  words 
and  deeds  were  to  be  heralded  to  every  corner  of  the  earth, 
and,  beyond  those  of  all  their  contemporaries,  were  to  make 
the  deepest  impress  upon  the  world.  If  the  fact  be  not  fully 
recognized  and  acknowledged  to-day,  the  hour  is  not  far  dis- 
tant when  it  will  be,  that  JOSEPH  SMITH  and  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 
were  the  two  greatest  men  of  their  time.  Providence  had 
assigned  each  his  labor,  and  each  faithfully  performed  the 
allotted  task.  Joseph,  under  the  direction  of  the  Almighty, 
marked  out  the  design  and  laid  the  foundation  deep  and 
strong;  and  Brigham,  inspired  from  the  same  source,  builded 
upon  it  carefully  and  judiciously.  The  labor  of  one  was 
designed  to  be  the  fitting  complement  to  the  other. 

At  this  first  visit  the  Prophet  Joseph  heard,  for  the 
first  time,  the  gift  of  speaking  in  tongues.  Brigham  had 
received  this  gift,  and  at  a  meeting  in  the  evening  the  Spirit 
rested  upon  him  and  he  spoke  in  tongues.  The  Prophet 
received  the  gift  of  interpretation,  and  he  said  it  was  the  lan- 
guage spoken  by  our  Father  Adam.  The  Spirit  also  rested 
upon  him  and  he  spoke  in  tongues.  After  this,  the  gifts  of 
speaking  in  tongues  and  interpreting  tongues  were  received 
and  enjoyed  by  many  of  the  Saints  at  Kirtland  and  elsewhere. 

From  that  day  Joseph  and  Brigham  were  friends,  attached 
to  each  other  by  a  tie  stronger  and  closer  than  that  of  earthly 
kinship.  From  that  time  on  for  twelve  years  Brigham  gave 
earnest  help  to  Joseph  and  demonstrated  by  his  consideration 
and  devotion  that  he  knew  the  authority  under  which  the 


136  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

younger  man  was  acting.  There  was  a  time  to  come  when 
Oliver  Cowdery — the  fellow  apostle  of  Joseph,  who,  with  him, 
had  received  the  Aaronic  Priesthood  under  the  hands  of  John 
the  Baptist,  and  the  Melchisedec  Priesthood  under  the  hands 
of  the  Apostles  Peter,  James  and  John,  heavenly  messengers 
sent  expressly  to  confer  these  two  Priesthoods  upon  them — 
would  waver  in  his  fidelity  to  the  truth  and  would  oppose 
Josefxh  and  leave  the  Church.  Not  many  years  from  the  time 
of  which  we  write  Sidney  Rigdon,  the  trusted  counselor,  the 
eloquent  spokesman  of  the  Prophet,  who  with  him  had  beheld 
in  vision  the  glories  of  the  eternal  world  and  borne  solemn 
testimony  that  he  had  seen  the  Savior  and  knew  that  He  lived, 
would  turn  his  back  upon  and  be  ready  to  desert  Joseph  and 
to  conspire  against  the  Church.  But  not  so  with  Brigham 
Young;  but  not  so  with  the  Prophet's  brother  Hyrum,  and 
many  others  less  eminent  than  these  two.  Hyrum  Smith  was 
the  embodiment  of  unswerving  fidelity  and  fraternal  love. 
Ever  by  his  brother's  side  to  aid  and  comfort  him,  life  had  no 
charms  for  him  when  danger  threatened  the  Lord's  anointed. 
He  had  a  mother  to  whom  he  always  rendered  dutiful  and 
loving  obedience;  he  had  a  wife  and  children  upon  whom  he 
lavished  a  wealth  of  affection;  he  had  brothers  and  sisters  to 
whom  he  was  kind,  considerate  and  helpful;  but  for  his 
brother  Joseph  he  had  a  love  which  over-mastered  all  these 
affections;  it  surpassed  the  love  of  woman.  When  death  stood 
in  the  pathway  and  menaced  with  its  fearful  terrors  Joseph 
and  those  who  stood  by  him,  the  Prophet  besought  Hyrum  to 
stand  aside  and  not  accompany  him.  But,  however  obedient 
he  might  be  to  the  slightest  wish  of  his  brother  in  other  direc- 
tions, upon  this  point  he  was  immovable.  If  Joseph  died, 
they  would  die  together.  As  in  his  life,  so  in  his  death, 
Hyrum  Smith  exhibited  the  perfection  of  human  love. 

With  similar  fidelity  and  unshaken  integrity  Brigham 
Young,  from  the  time  of  this  meeting  in  Kirtlarid,  cordially 
sustained  the  Prophet  Joseph  in  all  his  ministrations  up  to 
the  day  of  his  martyrdom.  Many  times  during  the  ensuing 
twelve  years,  and  especially  during  the  great  defection  and 
apostasy  at  Kirtland,  he  had  occasion,  because  of  his  devotion 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  137 

to  Joseph,  to  exhibit  the  decision  of  character  and  moral  cour- 
age for  which  he  was  so  distinguished  in  after  life.  When 
hesitation  and  doubt  were  far  too  common,  and  many  leading 
men  faltered  and  fell  away,  Brigham  stood  in  the  midst  of  the 
storm  of  opposition  like  a  tower  of  strength.  The  remark 
which  he  made  concerning  some  of  his  brother  apostles  at 
Nauvoo,  after  the  death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  when  he  said 
"their  hands  had  never  trembled  and  their  knees  had  never 
shook  in  maintaining  and  defending  the  principles  of  right- 
eousness" applied  with  peculiar  significance  to  himself  and  his 
own  past  connection  with  the  work  of  God.  But  it  was  not 
in  Joseph's  lifetime  alone  that  Brigham  manifested  his  admi- 
ration for  and  devotion  to  his  great  friend.  During  the  long 
period — thirty-three  years — which  he  outlived  the  Prophet 
(when  a  common  man  under  his  circumstances  might  have 
been  tempted  to  criticise  the  acts  or  peculiarities  of  his  prede- 
cessor, or  to  contrast  his  own  management  of  affairs  with  that 
of  Joseph's)  no  one  ever  heard  a  word  drop  from  his  lips 
that  was  not  worthy  of  the  two  men.  His  own  success  and 
great  and  world-wide  prominence  never  diminished  nor 
obscured  the  deep-rooted  love  and  loyalty  he  felt  towards  the 
man  whom  God  had  chosen  to  hold  the  keys  of  this  last  dis- 
pensation and  to  be  his  file-leader  in  the  Priesthood. 

It  appears  that  the  Prophet  must  have  had  something 
shown  to  him  on  this  occasion  concerning  the  future  of  Brig- 
ham  Young;  for  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Joseph  Young,  who 
both  accompanied  Brigham  to  Kirtland,  each  testified  in  his 
lifetime  that  the  Prophet  Joseph  said  to  those  who  stood 
around  him,  "  that  man,"  pointing  to  Brigham  Young  who  was 
a  little  distance  off,  "will  yet  preside  over  this  Church."  Levi 
W.  Hancock,  also,  frequently  testified  that  he  heard  the  Prophet 
make  this  same  statement  concerning  Brigham. 

In  July  Joseph  was  gratified  to  receive  the  first  number 
of  The  Evening  and  Morning  Star  from  Independence.  Light 
was  already  beginning  to  radiate  from  the  land  of  Zion. 

A  few  weeks  later  Elders  began  to  come  in  from  their 
missionary  labors  in  the  Eastern  States.  Their  reports  were 
interesting,  as  from  them  could  be  gathered  the  nature  of  the 


138  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

difficulties  to  be  contended  with  in  bringing  the  people  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  truth.  The  importance  of  this  missionary 
work  was  apparent.  The  message  which  the  Lord  had  given 
to  His  servants  had  to  be  declared  to  all  people.  The  Prophet 
sought  for  definite  instructions  concerning  this  labor.  On  the 
22nd  and  23rd  of  September,  1832,  he  received  the  word  of 
the  Lord  defining  some  of  the  powers  of  the  Priesthood  and 
giving  consolation  and  strength  to  such  as  should  be  called  to 
go  forth  in  the  ministry. 

"  Let  no  man  a  ).ong  you  *  *  *  from  this  hour  take  purse  or  scrip 
that  goeth  forth  to  proclaim  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom. 

"And  whoso  receiveth  you,  there  I  will  be  also,  for  I  will  go  before  your 
face  :  I  will  be  on  your  right  hand  and  on  your  left,  and  my  Spirit  shall  be  in 
your  hearts,  and  mine  angels  round  about  you  to  bear  you  up.  * 

"Search  diligently  and  spare  not ;  and  woe  unto  that  house,  or  that  vil- 
lage or  city  that  rejecteth  you,  or  your  words,  or  your  testimony  concerning 
me.  *  *  * 

"For  I  the  Almighty  have  laid  my  hands  upon  the  nations,  to  scourge 
them  for  their  wickedness  : 

"  And  plagues  shall  go  forth,  and  they  shall  not  be  taken  from  the  earth 
until  I  have  completed  my  work,  which  shall  be  cut  short  in  righteousness, 

"Until  all  shall  know  me,  who  remain,  even  from  the  least  unto  the 
greatest,  and  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  see 
eye  to  eye,  and  shall  lift  up  their  voice,  and  with  the  voice  together  sing 
this  new  song,  saying — 

"  The  Lord  hath  brought  again  Zion, 
The  Lord  hath  redeemed  his  people,  Israel, 
According  to  the  election  of  grace, 
Which  was  brought  to  pass  by  the  faith 
And  covenant  of  their  fathers. 

"  The  Lord  hath  redeemed  his  people, 
And  Satan  is  bound  and  time  is  no  longer  : 
The  Lord  hath  gathered  all  things  in  one : 
The  Lord  hath  brought  down  Zion  from  above. 
The  Lord  hath  brought  up  Zion  from  beneath. 

"The  earth  hath  travailed  and  brought  forth  her  strength  : 
And  truth  is  established  in  her  bowels  : 
And  the  heavens  have  smiled  upon  her  : 
And  she  is  clothed  with  the  glory  of  her  God  : 
For  he  stands  in  the  midst  of  his  people  : 

"Glory,  and  honor,  and  power,  and  might, 
Be  ascribed  to  our  God  ;  for  he  is  full  of  mercy, 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  139 

Justice,  grace  and  truth,  and  peace, 
For  ever  and  ever,  Amen. 

#  *  *  *  *  * 

"Go  ye  forth  *  reproving  the  world  in  righteousness  of  all  their 
unrighteous  and  ungodly  deeds,  setting  forth  clearly  and  understandingly  the 
desolation  of  abomination  in  the  last  days  ; 

"  For,  with  you,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty,  I  will  rend  their  kingdoms  : 
I  will  not  only  shake  the  earth,  but  the  starry  heavens  shall  tremble  ; 

"For  I,  the  Lord,  have  put  forth  my  hand  to  exert  the  powers  of 
heaven  :  ye  cannot  see  it  now,  yet  a  little  while  and  ye  shall  see  it,  and  know 
that  I  am,  and  that  I  will  come  and  reign  with  my  people." 

Early  in  the  month  of  October  the  Prophet  departed  with 
Bishop  Whitney  for  the  Eastern  States,  and  made  hurried 
visits  to  the  cities  of  Albany,  New  York  and  Boston, 
returning  to  Kirtland  on  the  sixth  day  of  November,  1832. 
Three  days  previous  to  the  latter  date,  on  November  3rd,  a  son 
was  born  to  him,  whom  he  named  Joseph. 

To  one  not  divinely  sustained  the  burden  of  work  now 
laid  upon  Joseph  would  have  been  oppressive.  The  little  time 
he  could  snatch  from  the  labors  of  the  ministry  was  devoted  to 
diligent  labor  upon  the  translation  of  the  Bible;  and  in  addi- 
tion he  was  planning  for  the  further  progress  of  proselyting 
work  and  for  the  upbuilding  of  Zion,  in  Missouri.  Upon 
this  latter  subject  he  bestowed  much  anxious  thought. 
He  communicated  with  the  Elders  there  by  letter,  and  gave 
them  careful  instruction  concerning  the  distribution  of  inheri- 
tances to  the  Saints  and  the  general  management  of  affairs  in 
that  land. 

On  the  25th  day  of  December,  1832,  the  following  revela- 
tion and  prophecy  were  given  to  Joseph,  at  Kirtland,  Ohio: 

"Verily,  thus  saith  the  Lord,  concerning  the  wars  that  will  shortly 
come  to  pass,  beginning  at  the  rebellion  of  South  Carolina,  which  wall  event- 
ually terminate  in  the  death  and  misery  of  many  souls. 

"The  days  will  come  that  war  will  be  poured  out  upon  all  nations, 
beginning  at  that  place  ; 

"  For  behold,  the  Southern  States  shall  be  divided  against  the  Northern 
States,  and  the  Southern  States  will  call  on  other  nations,  even  the  nation 
of  Great  Britain,  as  it  is  called,  and  they  shall  also  call  upon  other  nations, 
in  order  to  defend  themselves  against  other  nations  ;  and  thus  war  shall  be 
poured  out  upon  all  nations. 


140  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

1 '  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  after  many  days,  slaves  shall  rise  up  against 
their  masters,  who  shall  be  marshaled  and  disciplined  for  war  : 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass  also,  that  the  remnants  who  are  left  of  the 
land  will  marshal  themselves,  and  shall  become  exceeding  angry,  and  shall 
vex  the  Gentiles  with  a  sore  vexation  ; 

"And  thus,  with  the  sword,  and  by  bloodshed,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  shall  mourn  ;  and  with  famine,  and  plague,  and  earthquakes,  and  the 
thunder  of  heaven,  and  the  fierce  and  vivid  lightning  also,  shall  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  earth  be  made  to  feel  the  wrath,  and  indignation  and  chasten- 
ing hand  of  an  Almighty  Grod,  until  the  consumption  decreed,  hath  made  a 
full  end  of  all  the  nations ; 

' '  Wherefore,  stand  ye  in  holy  places,  and  be  not  moved,  until  the  day 
of  the  Lord  come  ;  for  behold  it  cometh  quickly,  saith  the  Lord.  Amen." 

This  revelation  was  made  known  at  that  time  to  the 
Saints  and  was  a  subject  of  constant  remark  in  the  Church;  in 
1851  it  was  published  to  the  world  and  obtained  a  somewhat  wide 
circulation.  Nearly  twenty-nine  years  after  its  date,  its  wondrous 
fulfillment  began  when  the  first  gun  was  fired  at  Fort  Sumter, 
South  Carolina.  Since  that  time  wars  and  rumors  of  wars 
have  prevailed  throughout  the  world.  Peace  has  fled,  and  in 
view  of  all  the  Lord  has  said,  it  is  not  too  much  to  expect  it 
has  fled  no  more  to  return  till  the  reign  of  righteousness  shall 
begin. 

It  is  strange  that  the  solemn  warning  uttered  by  Joseph 
in  1832  should  have  gone  unheeded.  His  prophecy  was  not 
without  its  purpose.  The  Lord  inspired  his  mind  with  visions 
of  the  future  and  with  power  to  view  the  paths  by  which  the 
nation  might  escape  the  impending  disasters,  but  like  other 
parts  of  His  message  of  salvation  to  the  human  race  this  warn- 
ing also  was  rejected. 


CHAPTER    XXII L 

ORGANIZATION     OF     THE    SCHOOL     OF    THE    PROPHETS THE    TRANS- 
LATION OF  THE  SCRIPTURES THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM  REVEALED 

— JOSEPH     SELECTS     COUNSELORS THE      SAVIOR    AND    ANGELS 

APPEAR    AFTER    THE    ORDINATION LANDS    PURCHASED  IN  AND 

AROUND    KIRTLAND. 

THE  warnings,  of  which  he  had  been  the  chosen  proclaimer 
to  the  world,  imbued  the  Prophet  with  a  sense  of  mankind's 
physical  danger,  as  he  had  formerly  been  made  to  understand 
their  spiritual  jeopardy;  and  we  find  from  all  his  writings 
and  utterances  of  this  period  that  he  repeated  often  and  in 
various  ways  the  message  of  alarm. 

It  was  a  busy  winter  of  1832-3  for  Joseph.  He  organ- 
ized a  school  of  the  Prophets,  wheYein  such  of  the  members 
of  the  Church  as  held  the  Melchisedec  Priesthood  and  were 
worthy  were  permitted  to  assemble  and  receive  instruction 
day  by  day  in  the  things  of  God.  He  continued  his  trans- 
lation of  the  scriptures;  he  directed  letters  to  the  saints  in 
Zion,  exhorting  them  to  repentance,  to  faithfulness  and 
purification,  admonishing  them  of  the  punishment  in  store 
for  workers  of  unrighteousness ;  and  he  sat  in  many  confer- 
ences in  which  the  gifts  of  the  gospel  were  made  manifest 
in  recognition  and  blessing  of  the  humility  of  the  people. 

On  the  22nd  day  of  January,  1833,  there  were  many 
.manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  a  conference  at  Kirt- 
land.  The  Prophet  and  many  of  his  brethren  of  the  higher 
Priesthood,  together  with  several  other  members,  both  men 
and  women,  spoke  in  tongues.  The  restoration  of  this  gift 
to  man  gave  great  joy  to  those  who  received  it;  but  the  gift  of 
speaking  in  tongues  was  esteemed  by  the  saints  of  that  early 
day  as  a  reward  to  patient  trust  and  meekness  and  not  as  a 
necessary  sign  or  proof  of  truth. 

On  the  2nd  day  of  February,  1833,  the  Prophet  com- 
pleted, for  the  time  being,  his  inspired  translation  of  the 


142  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

New  Testament.  *  No  endeavor  was  made  at  that  time  to 
print  the  work.  It  was  sealed  up  with  the  expectation  that  it 
would  he  brought  forth  at  a  later  day  with  other  of  the 
scriptures.  Joseph  did  not  live  to  give  to  the  world  an  authorita- 
tive publication  of  these  translations.*  But  the  labor  was  its 
own  reward,  bringing  in  the  performance  a  special  blessing  of 
broadened  comprehension  to  the  Prophet  and  a  general 
blessing  of  enlightenment  to  the  people  through  his  subse- 
quent teachings. 

The  Lord  revealed  His  purpose  in  this  matter  when  He 
said  to  Joseph  at  a  later  time : 

"And  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  it  is  my  will  that  you  should  hasten 
to  translate  my  scriptures,  and  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  history,  and  of 
countries,  and  of  kingdoms,  of  laws  of  Ood  and  man,  and  all  this  for  the 
salvation  of  Zion."f 

On  the  27th  day  of  February,  1833,  the  Prophet  received 
the  revelation  known  as  the  Word  of  Wisdom,  warning  the 
people  to  abstain  from  impurities  and  grossness  in  their  food 
and  drink,  and  promising  them  rich  blessings  of  physical 
strength  and  protection  from  the  power  of  the  adversary  as 
a  reward  for  their  obedience.  The  requirement  of  bodily 
pureness,  to  be  gained  by  clean  and  wholesome  living,  was 
not  more  directly  made  upon  the  children  of  Israel  anciently 
than  upon  the  Latter-day  Saints  through  the  Prophet  Joseph. 
This  revealed  Word  of  Wisdom  embodies  the  most  advanced 
principles  of  science  in  the  condemnation  of  unclean  or  glut- 
tonous appetites;  and  if  it  were  implicitly  obeyed  by  the 
human  family,  it  would  be  a  power  to  aid  in  a  physical 
redemption  for  the  race.  Its  delivery  to  Joseph  marks 
another  step  in  the  divine  plan  for  man's  eventual  elevation  to 
divine  acceptability — a  plan  which  had  already  proved  itself 
of  heavenly  origin  by  its  sublime  character. 


*  We  have  heard  President  Brigham  Young  state  that  the  Prophet,  before  his 
death,  had  spoken  to  him  about  going  through  the  translation  of  the  scriptures 
again  and  perfecting  it  upon  points  of  doctrine  which  the  Lord  had  restrained  him 
from  giving  in  plainness  and  fullness  at  the  time  of  which  we  write. 

f  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  Section  xciii,  verse  54. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  143 

And  now  we  are  brought  to  the  time  when  the  Lord 
designed  that  the  authority  and  power  of  the  presidency  of  the 
Church  should  be  shared  by  others  and  should  be  conferred 
upon  them  by  Joseph.  An  intimation  concerning  the  First 
Presidency  of  the  Church  was  given  in  a  revelation  which 
the  Prophet  received  in  March,  1832,  in  which  Frederick 
G.  Williams  was  called  of  the  Lord  to  be  a  counselor  to 
Joseph.  In  previous  revelations,  also,  mention  was  made 
by  the  Lord  of  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church  and 
some  of  the  duties  which  belonged  to  that  body.  But  it 
was  not  until  the  8th  day  of  March,  1833,  that  the  Lord 
revealed  His  further  will  concerning  this  organization.  At 
that  time  two  men  were  designated  to  be  associates  of  the 
Prophet — to  be  his  counselors  and  members  with  him  of  the 
First  Presidency  of  the  Church.  They  were  Sidney  Rigdon 
and  Frederick  G.  Williams,  and  on  the  18th  day  of  March, 
1833,  in  the  school  of  the  Prophets,  at  Kirtland,  obedient  to 
the  revealed  word,  Joseph  ordained  these  men  to  this  office, 
to  take  part  with  him  in  bearing  the  burden  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God,  and  to  assist  in  the  presidency  of  the  high  Priest- 
hood. In .  this  way  was  the  first  presiding  quorum  formed  to 
administer  in  the  Church ;  and  it  was  not  dissolved  during  the 
Prophet's  life.  But  when  the  frightful  deed  at  Carthage  took 
place  in  after  years,  the  Lord  had  provided  an  authority, 
equal  in  power  to  the  complete  first  quorum,  to  hold  the 
gifts  and  to  carry  the  responsibility  of  the  work. 

Joseph's  glad  submission  to  the  will  of  the  Lord  respect- 
ing the  distribution  of  authority  is  sufficient  proof  of  his 
unselfishness.  And  the  conception  of  this  plan  for  the 
guidance  of  the  Church  proves  that  the  system  had  its  origin 
beyond  and  above  the  petty  ambitions  of  humanity. 

Sidney  Rigdon  and  Frederick  G.  Williams,  with  the  suc- 
cessors of  the  latter  as  counselors,  ever  received  proper  con- 
sideration from  Joseph ;  and  though  often  they  were  a  thorn 
in  the  flesh,  because  of  their  own -ambitions  or  misdoings,  he 
bore  with  them  patiently,  knowing  that  they  were  the  chosen 
of  the  Lord,  and  forgave  their  failings  as  willingly  and 
humbly  as  he  besought  forgiveness  of  his  own  frailties.  The 


144  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Prophet  was  never  more  watchful  of  his  own  ordained  pre- 
rogatives than  of  the  power  similarly  conferred  upon  his 
brethren.  He  showed  by  his  example  to  the  Saints  then  and 
for  all  time  how  a  man  could  defer  to  proper  authority  without 
cringing  to  his  fellow-man. 

The  full  beauty  of  the  organization  and  the  means  by 
which  the  authority  of  the  Priesthood  would  be  perpetuated 
in  the  Church  was  not  made  fully  known  at  that  time.  It 
came  later,  notably  when  the  quorum  of  Apostles  was  organ- 
ized. But  this  creation  of  the  First  Presidency  was  of 
great  moment  in  demonstrating  the  exalted  nature  of  the 
calling,  and  the  Lord  blessed  it  in  the  eyes  of  the  assembled 
Priesthood.  On  the  occasion  when  the  ordination  was  solem- 
nized, the  sacrament  was  administered  by  the  Prophet,  under 
the  promise  that  the  pure  in  heart  should  see  a  heavenly 
vision ;  and,  after  the  bread  and  the  wine  had  been  partaken 
of  in  prayer  and  humility,  the  Savior  appeared  before  their 
eyes,  accompanied  by  concourses  of  holy  angels.  It  was  thus 
that  the  faithful  were  comforted  in  their  meekness  and  blessed 
in  their  devotion. 

While  looking  forward  to  the  building  of  Zion  in 
Missouri,  it  was  still  deemed  necessary  for  the  Saints  to 
have  a  resting  place  for  some  time  to  come  in  Kirtland. 
And  very  soon  after  the  ordination  of  Sidney  Rigdon  and 
Frederick  G.  Williams,  a  council  of  the  Priesthood  was 
called,  by  which  it  was  decided  to  purchase  lands  in  and 
around  Kirtland  for  the  use  of  the  Saints  upon  which  they 
were  to  be  established.  This  plan  was  not  vacillation,  how- 
ever it  might  have  seemed  at  that  time  to  an  unbeliever.  Nor 
was  it  without  its  accomplishments  and  great  benefits.  Hope- 
ful as  Joseph  and  the  Saints  were  to  perform  the  work  of 
establishing  the  center  stake  in  Jackson  County,  and  earnest 
as  they  were  in  their  endeavor,  the  administration  of  ordi- 
nances, the  endowment  of  the  worthy  Saints,  and  the  minis- 
tration of  heavenly  beings,  which  afterwards  took  place  in  the 
temple  at  Kirtland,  would  necessarily  have  been  delayed  if 
the  sole  effort  had  been  to  erect  a  temple  in  Missouri; 
because  the  hatred  against  the  truth  soon  became  so  violent 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  145 

there  that  the  fulfillment  of  this  purpose  was,  for  the  time, 
impossible. 

But  while  Kirtland  was  being  strengthened  and  plans 
were  being  made  to  beautify  the  city  and  enrich  it  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Saints,  Zion  in  Missouri  was  also  coming  under 
the  good  influence.  Joseph  was  gratified  to  learn  that  every 
dissension  among  the  elders  and  members  in  Jackson  County 
had  ceased  and  that  all  was  peace  within  that  branch  of  the 
Church.  There  had  been  no  serious  difficulties ;  but,  so  far 
removed  from  his  direct  guidance,  some  of  the  traveling  Elders 
had  exalted  their  own  authority  to  conflict  with  that  exercised 
by  the  resident  presidency  in  Zion  and  misunderstandings 
ensued.  This  had  all  been  corrected  after  Joseph  had  sent  an 
epistle  to  the  Saints  in  that  region,  and  with  the  opening  of 
April,  1833,  there  was  much  joy  and  hope  at  Kirtland  and 
much  union  and  love  in  Jackson  County. 

Later  in  the  spring  and  in  the  early  summer  of  1833, 
revelations  were  received  concerning  the  erection  of  a  temple 
at  Kirtland,  and  with  this  and  attendant  work  the  Prophet  was 
constantly  engaged. 


10 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THREATS     OF     A     MOB    OF     THREE     HUNDRED     AT     INDEPENDENCE — 

PURITY  REQUIRED    OF    CHURCH    MEMBERS EXCOMMUNICATION 

OF    DR.    P.     HURLBERT HIS     THREATS    AGAINST    THE    PROPHET 

PIXLEY    JOINS     THE    MOB HIS      MALICIOUS     FALSEHOODS- 
MEETING  OF  A  BASE  ELEMENT WICKED    DETERMINATIONS — 

DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  SAINTS'  PRINTING  ESTABLISHMENT W. 

W.    PHELPS   DRIVEN    FROM   HOME BISHOP   PARTRIDGE   AND 

ELDER  ALLEN  TARRED  AND  FEATHERED "YOU  MUST  LEAVE 

THE   COUNTRY"  —  ANOTHER    MEETING  OF   THE  ENEMY — THE 
SAINTS  AGREE  TO  LEAVE  JACKSON  COUNTY. 

EIGHTEEN  hundred  years  after  the  crucifixion  of  our  Savior, 
His  Church  in  this  last  dispensation  celebrated  the  third  anni- 
versary of  its  establishment.  The  ceremonies  took  place  on 
the  6th  day  of  April,  1833,  on  the  banks  of  the  Big  Blue 
River  in  the  western  part  of  Jackson  County,  Missouri.  Few 
as  were  the  Saints  then  gathered  in  the  land  Zion,  the  event 
was  impressive  in  its  solemn  recall  of  the  past,  and  sublime  in 
its  exalted  promise  for  the  future  of  Christ's  people.  Joseph 
himself  was  not  there;  but  eighty  men  who  had  received  the 
Priesthood  and  also  many  other  members  of  the  Church  were 
present  to  enjoy  this  reawakening  in  modern  times'  of  the 
power  of  the  Son  of  God. 

This  was  not  to  be  the  only  reawakening.  The  spirit  of 
insensate  murder  which  Jesus  had  encountered  and  which  had 
culminated  on  Calvary  was  aroused  in  all  its  intensity  against 
these  His  humble  and  chosen  followers  in  the  latter  days.  In 
the  same  month  which  witnessed  the  glorious  reunion  of  the 
Saints,  a  mob,  consisting  of  three  hundred  men,  congregated 
at  Independence  and  swore  with  much  blasphemy  to  drive  the 
people  of  God  from  their  homes  in  that  region  and  to  destroy 
that  branch  of  the  Church.  News  of  these  dreadful  threats 
was  brought  to  the  leading  Elders  at  Independence ;  and  in 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  147 

solemn  assemblage  they  prayed  that  God  would  stay  the  hand 
of  tlu'  wicked.  The  supplication  was  granted  for  a  time:  and 
tin*  drunken  rabble  became  filled  with  mutual  hatred  and  dis- 
trust, so  that  they  scattered  from  the  meeting  and  carousing 
place,  mingling  with  their  maledictions  against  the  Saints  much 
vile  language  and  many  execrations  concerning  each  other. 

When  the  Prophet  learned  of  these  manifestations  in 
Jackson  County,  he  was  filled  with  much  concern  for  his 
brethren ;  but  his  duty  as  commanded  by  the  Lord  required 
for  a  time  his  presence  at  Kirtland  and  in  the  East.  And  at 
Kirtland,  despite  the  poverty  of  the  people  and  the  menace 
made  by  a  wicked  world  against  them,  preparations  were  made 
to  build  the  house  unto  the  Lord  as  required  in  the  revelations. 

The  spirit  of  persecution  which  raged  was  doubtless  per- 
mitted, if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  it  had  the  effect  to 
purify  the  Church,  and  the  members  were  also  admonished 
thereby  to  sweep  all  unworthiness  from  their  midst  and  to 
exclude  from  Church  membership s  all  wilful  and  persistent 
wrong-doers.  Few  and  poor  as  were  the  Saints,  it  was  the 
rule  tha^fco  man,  whatever  his  attainments  or  wealth,  should 
retain  his  fellowship  if  his  conduct  proved  that  his  soul  was 
vile.  It  was  not  and  is  not  now  the  practice  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints  to  cover  the  sins  of  their  members  from  the  gaze  of  an 
unbelieving  world,  and  to  harbor  the  wrong-doer  rather  than 
to  subject  the  entire  body  to  the  reproach  of  scoffers.  With 
charity  such  as  Christ  commanded  for  all  the  frailties  of  a 
humanity  struggling  toward  goodness,  the  Church  has  ever 
been  an  uncompromising  punisher  of  wilful  wickedness.  In 
June,  1833,  one  Doctor  P.  Hurlbert  was  tried  by  the  council 
of  High  Priests  upon  a  charge  of  impure  conduct  with  women 
while  acting  as  a  missionary  in  the  East;  and  although  he 
contested  the  case,  as  he  desired  for  his  own  selfish  purposes 
to  continue  for  a  time  in  relation  with  the  Church,  his  guilt 
was  fully  established,  he  was  cut  off  and  the  world  was  warned 
against  him  as  an  insidious  enemy  of  female  chastity.  This 
man  Hurlbert,  being  filled  with  hatred  by  the  exposure  of  his 
true  nature,. showed  himself  a  vindictive  enemy  of  the  Prophet 
and  the  Church,  and  in  later  times  his  name  became  asso- 


148  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

elated  with  the  notorious  Spaulding  story,  and  with  threats 
and  attempts  upon  Joseph's  life. 

It  was  by  such  men,  dishonorable  apostates,  suborned  and 
aided  by  a  jealous  clergy,  that  the  early  falsehoods  were  prop- 
agated and  the  early  persecutions  were  incited  against  the 
Church  which  would  not  condone  their  impurities.  And  it  is 
the  wicked  untruth,  started  in  that  age  and  added  to  by  the 
same  class  of  men  in  later  times,  which  is  circulated  to-day 
and  which  deceives  the  world  concerning  a  people  whose 
sole  desire  is  to  live  in  purity  and  in  peace  with  all  mankind.  It 
was  then,  as  it  is  now,  noted  that,  in  many  instances,  the 
charges  against  Latter-day  Saints  have  varied  according  to  the 
varied  character  of  their  originators.  Men  whose  profession 
is  divining  for  money,  whose  trade  is  deceiving  human  souls  to 
gratify  their  own  avarice,  joined  in  the  cry  that  Joseph  Smith 
and  his  fellow  Apostles  were  selfish  seekers  after  the  things  of 
this  world.  Men  whose  souls  felt  no  repugnance  to  the 
butchery  of  defenceless  men,  pure  women  and  innocent  little 
children  originated  the  awful  lie  that  murder  was  practiced 
and  condoned  by  this  Church.  Impure  wretches,  looking 
with  lustful  eyes  upon  females,  originated  the  untruth  that 
woman  was  degraded  and  her  virtue  held  in  light  esteem  by 
the  Latter-day  Saints;  and  among  the  most  prominent  perse- 
cutors and  prosecutors  of  this  people  have  been  lechers.  Dis- 
honest and  disreputable  men  circulated  the  absurd  falsehood 
th,at  Joseph  Smith  and  his  followers  sought  to  despoil  others 
of  their  possessions  instead  of  acquiring  homes  by  the  labors 
of  their  own  hands.  It  is  one  of  the  most  peculiar  expe- 
riences of  the  Saints  that  in  most  instances  the  charge  brought 
against  them  has  been  one  of  which  the  originator  would  him- 
self be  glad  to  be  guilty. 

So  it  was  at  Independence  in  the  summer  of  1833. 

The  first  effort  of  the  mob  failed.  They  lacked  a  leader 
sufficiently  base  to  unite  them  in  their  plans  for  robbery  and 
murder.  But  in  July  of  that  year  a  man  named  Pixley,  a  paid 
agent  ot  a  sectarian  Missionary  Society,  was  dwelling  in  that 
region  under  the  pretence  of  helping  the  Indians  to  the  light 
of  Christianity.  He  defamed  the  Saints  to  their  fellow  citizens 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  149 

of  Missouri  and  sent  malicious  lies  to  the  eastern  states  to  stir 
up  the  older  communities  of  the  nation  to  a  feeling  of  dislike. 
He  misrepresented  the  Saints  to  the  Indians  and  to  the  wilder 
white  men  of  the  border,  with  the  hope  to  inflame  these 
ungoverned  and  lawless  people  to  attack  and  destroy  the  little 
handful  of  church  members.  The  number  of  the  Saints  in  the 
center  stake  of  Zion  at  this  time  was  twelve  hundred.  They 
were  law-abiding  and  industrious.  But  they  were  intent  upon 
the  work  commanded  of  the  Lord,  and  they  did  not  assimilate 
readily  nor  join  in  unworthy  pursuits  with  the  surrounding 
people,  white  and  red  and  black.  This  self-isolation  or  exclu- 
siveness  constituted  their  sole  offence.  It  is  not  surprising 
that  the  Saints  should  have  striven  to  keep  their  skirts  clean 
from  close  contact  with  the  vicious  element  abounding  there, 
nor  that  this  same  vicious  element  should  have  been  easily 
aroused  against  a  people  so  singular  in  their  demeanor,  and  so 
unworldly  in  their  lives  and  aspirations. 

Pixley,  himself  the  teacher  of  a  false  religion,  proclaimed 
against  Joseph  Smith  as  a  false  prophet.  Pixley,  himself  the 
leader  of  deceived  converts,  proclaimed  against  the  Saints  as 
deluded  followers.  Pixley,  himself  a  dishonest  creature,  pro- 
claimed that  the  purpose  of  the  Saints  was  to  steal  the  posses- 
sions of  other  settlers,  to  steal  their  negroes,  or  to  incite  them  to 
run  away.  The  Latter-day  Saints  were  men  from  the  eastern 
states — Yankees — and  consequently  open  to  the  suspicion  of 
being  Abolitionists.  In  Upper  Missouri  in  those  days  no 
charge  could  be  made  that  would  arouse  more  intense  hatred 
ami  violence  than  that  of  being  an  Abolitionist.  The  mere 
whisper  of  such  a  suspicion  was  sufficient  to  inflame  anger  and 
arouse  a  mob.  By  such  cries,  Pixley  and  others  of  his  kind 
induced  every  dissolute  idler  in  that  region  to  join  in  an 
onslaught  for  plunder.  They  all  hoped  to  safely  annihilate 
the  Church  and  to  seize  the  lands  of  the  Saints  under  cover  of 
a  Pharisaical  cry,  "False  prophets,  deluded  followers,  idle  vag- 
abonds, land  thieves  ! "  With  this  man  Pixley  were  united 
professed  ministers  of  the  gospel,  officers  of  the  law,  politicians 
and  many  individuals  of  less  personal  importance  if  not  less 
vindictiveness.  They  succeeded  in  so  exciting  the  public  mind 


150  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

that  a  mass  meeting  to  devise  some  unlawful  plan  against 
the  Saints  was  held  at  Independence,  on  the  20th  day  of 
July,  1833,  at  which  a  great  horde  of  five  hundred  persons 
were  in  attendance.  Not  only  were  the  scum  of  that  wild 
region  gathered,  but  men  holding  high  official  positions  were 
also  present,  for  individuals  with  political  aspirations  are  often 
ready  to  join  the  lowest  and  most  depraved  in  any  popular 
movement.  Amazing  as  it  may  seem,  Lieutenant-Governor 
Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  the  second  officer  of  the  State  of  Missouri, 
was  personally  cognizant  of  the  proceedings  and  aided  every 
movement  against  the  Saints. 

Colonel  Richard  Simpson  was  chairman  of  the  meeting, 
and  James  II.  Flournoy  and  Colonel  Samuel  D.  Lucas  were 
secretaries.  A  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose  prepared 
and  presented  a  manifesto,  wrhich  was  adopted  by  the  meeting. 
It  denounced  the  Saints  for  their  poverty  and  for  their  pecu- 
liar religious  belief,  but  it  did  not  dare  to  charge  a  single  spe- 
cific violation  of  law  against  them.  It  closed  with  the  declar- 
ation that  no  Latter-day  Saint  should  in  future  be  permitted 
to  settle  in  Jackson  County;  that  such  as  then  resided  there 
should  remove;  that  the  Evening  and  Morning  Star  should  no 
longer  be  published,  and  the  business  of  printing  by  the  Saints 
should  be  discontinued  in  that  county;  and  "that  those  who 
failed  to  comply  with  this  requisition  are  to  refer  to  those  of 
their  brethren  who  have  the  gift  of  divination  and  of  unknown 
tongues  to  inform  them  of  the  lot  that  awaits  them." 

Not  a  single  voice  was  recorded  against  the  adoption  of 
this  infamous  edict.  It  was  unanimously  accepted;  and  imme- 
diately a  committee  of  thirteen  persons  was  appointed  to  see 
that  the  decree  was  enforced.  The  space  of  two  hours  was 
allowed  by  the  meeting  for  the  delivery  of  the  terms  of  this 
manifesto  to  the  presiding  officers  of  the  Church,  for  their 
answer  to  this  demand,  and  for  the  return  of  the  committee  to 
the  meeting.  .  Scant  time,  indeed,  for  the  expatriation  ol 
twelve  hundred  law-abiding  men,  women  and  children!  The 
Saints  asked  for  delay  for  a  pitiful  ten  days,  in  which  to  con- 
sider the  awful  decree.  The  answer  was,  "Fifteen  minutes 
are  enough." 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  K>1 

im»h  were  terribly,  murderously  earnest.  When  the 
committee  returned  to  the  re-convened  meeting  after  a  lapse 
of  that  brief  two  hours,  they  reported  that  the  leaders  of  the 
Saints  and  the  editor  of  the  paper  had  asked  time  for  consulta- 
tion, not  only  among  themselves  but  with  their  fellow  believers 
and  the  Presidency  of  the  Church  in  Ohio.  A  yell  of  hate 
greeted  this  announcement,  and  the  meeting  instantly  and 
unanimously  resolved  to  wreak  instant  vengeance  upon  the 
Saints  and  the  paper.  Headed  by  a  red  flag  to  signify  their 
bloody  purpose  and  their  defiance  of  law,  they  rushed  upon 
their  prey.  The  house  of  William  W.  Phelps,  the  editor, 
containing  the  printing  establishment,  was  razed  to  the  ground. 
His  press  and  type  and  other  materials  were  seized  and  carried 
away  by  the  mob.  The  papers  and  books  were  destroyed,  and 
the  family  and  furniture  of  the  editor  wrere  cast  off  the  prem- 
ises. An  infant  child  of  Elder  Phelps  was  dangerously  ill  in 
his  wife's  arms,  but  mother  and  babe  were  thrust  out  as  bru- 
tally as  the  rest.  An  attack  was-  made  upon  the  store  for  the 
purpose  of  plundering  it,  but  the  mob  was  induced  to  forego 
their  purpose  to  engage  in  more  sanguinary  delights.  Bishop 
Edward  Partridge  and  Charles  Allen  were  stripped  and  tarred 
and  feathered,  because  they  wrould  not  deny  the  truth  nor 
agree  to  leave  the  county  at  once.  With  the  tar  was  mixed 
some  powerful  acid  which  burned  their  flesh  frightfully. 
Several  of  the  brethren  were  threatened  with  whipping  and 
even  worse.  But  it  was  growing  dark  and  the  mob  concluded 
that  enough  had  been  done  for  one  time;  so  the  mass  meeting, 
which  this  inhuman  rabble  was  called,  adjourned  for  three 
days  until  the  23rd  of  July,  1833.  And  Lilburn  W.  Boggs 
addressed  some  of  the  Saints  saying,  "You  now  know  what 
our  Jackson  boys  can  do,  and  you  must  leave  the  country." 
Even  a  greater  number  of  people  assembled  on  the  23rd 
of  July,  as  agreed,  to  renew  the  persecution  of  the  poor  Saints. 
A  new  committee  was  appointed  to  consult  again  with  the 
presiding  oflicers  of  the  Church;  and,  not  being  entirely  dead 
to  humanity,  this  committee  agreed  to  give  the  Saints  time — 
one  half  until  the  1st  day  of  January,  1834,  and  the  remainder 
until  the  1st  day  of  April,  of  the  same  year,  in  which  to. 


152  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

remove  themselves  from  Jackson  County.  Further,  it  was  settled 
that  the  Star  was  not  to  be  again  published  nor  a  press  set  up  by  any 
Latter-day  Saint  in  the  county,  and  that  any  members  of  the 
Church  then  journeying  toward  Jackson  County  should  be 
stopped  on  the  road  and  only  permitted  to  have  a  temporary 
shelter  until  such  time  as  all  the  Saints  could  remove  from 
Jackson  County  to  some  new  gathering  place.  A  solemn 
pledge  was  given  by  the  committee  that,  meanwhile,  the 
people  should  not  be  again  assailed.  The  mass  meeting,  upon 
receiving  this  report,  ratified  it  in  a  formal  manner.  Concluding 
that  their  great  mission — to  which  they  had  devoted  "  their 
bodily  powers,  their  lives,  fortunes  and  sacred  honors" — had 
been  accomplished  the  rabble  adjourned  sine  die.* 

Oliver  Cowdery  was  at  once  despatched  to  Kirtland  with 
fall  information.  When  the  Prophet  Joseph  heard  of  this 
wanton  attack  upon  the  Church  and  the  sad  situation  of  the 
people  at  Independence,  he  wrote,  "Man  may  torment  the 
body;  but  God  in  return  will  punish  the  soul." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  CORNER  STONE  OF  THE  KIRTLAND  TEMPLE  LAID — A  PRINTING 
ESTABLISHMENT  OPENED — THE  PROPHET'S  MISSION  TO  CANADA 
— A   MINISTER'S   OPPOSITION — BAPTISMS  —  PERSECUTIONS   AT 
.  KIRTLAND — WILFORD  WOODRUFF  RECEIVES  THE  GOSPEL. 

ISTo  work  of  murderous  mobs  or  judicial  persecution  has  ever 
been  able  to  stay  the  cause  inaugurated  under  divine  direction 
through  Joseph  Smith.  At  the  very  hour  when  the  mob,  on 
the  23rd  clay  of  July,  1833,  were  issuing  their  mandate  ot 
exile  to  the  Saints  in  Jackson  County,  the  corner  stone  of  the 
Lord's  house  in  Kirtland  was  being  laid  according  to  the  order 
of  the  holy  Priesthood  of  Christ.  It  was  not  that  the  purpose 

*  See  note  3,  Appendix. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  153 

had  shifted,  that  the  center  stake  was  to  be  removed  from 
Missouri  to  Ohio.  The  command  had  been  given;  it  will  not 
be  annulled.  The  covenant  had  been  made;  it  cannot  be 
broken.  But  long  before  the  manifestation  of  mob  violence 
in  Jackson  County,  the  Lord  had  directed  the  building  of  a 
temple  at  Kirtland  and  the  establishment  of  a  stake  of  Zion 
there. 

And  while  the  future,  to  human  appearance,  seemed  to 
be  growing  darker  and  darker,  Joseph  received  a  revelation 
in  which  the  Lord  declared  His  immutable  covenant  that  the 
Saints  should  be  rewarded  and  blessed  according  to  His  prom- 
ise and  that  their  afflictions  should  eventually  be  turned  to 
their  everlasting  good.  And,  while  the  wickedness  of  mobs 
in  Missouri  was  still  agitating  the  hearts  of  Joseph  and  the 
Saints  and  making  the  weak  among  the  people  to  tremble  and 
the  strong  to  feel  deep  indignation,  the  Lord  commanded  His 
Saints  to  renounce  war  and  proclaim  peace  and  to  bear  afflic- 
tions patiently,  even  unto  the  third  time  of  their  being  smitten 
by  the  wicked.  He  promised  them  that  whoso  should  lay 
down  his  life  in  the  cause  of  Christ  should  find  it  again,  even 
life  eternal. 

On  the  llth  day  of  September,  1833,  a  council  under 
the  presidency  of  the  Prophet  was  held  in  Kirtland,  and  it 
was  decided  that  a  printing  establishment  should  be  opened 
there  for  the  publication  of  the  persecuted  Evening  and  Morn- 
ing Star  and  for  a  new  paper  to  be  called  the  Latter-day  Saints' 
Messenger  and  Advocate.  About  the  same  time  Elders  Orson 
Hyde  and  John  Gould  were  sent  to  Jackson  County  as  mes- 
sengers from  the  First  Presidency  to  the  Missouri  Saints  in 
their  tribulation. 

The  Prophet  felt  that  the  field  of  souls  was  white  for  the 
harvest  and  that  it  was  incumbent  upon  him  to  thrust  in  his 
sickle  and  gather  the  honest-in-heart.  On  the  5th  day  of 
October,  1833,  he  departed  from  Kirtland  upon  a  missionary 
journey  to  Canada,  in  company  with  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Free- 
man A.  Nickerson.  At  various  places  on  the  road,  they  stopped 
and  proclaimed  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto  the  inhabitants. 
In  some  villages  they  found  already  members  of  the  Church. 


154  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

v 

In  others  they  found  God-fearing  men  and  women  who  were 
praying  for  light  and  were  willing  to  obey  when  the  simple 
gospel  was  presented  before  the  eyes  of  their  understanding. 
On  the  12th  day  of  October  they  had  arrived  at  Perrysburgr 
New  York,  where  they  halted  for  a  little  time.  Here  the 
Prophet  received  a  revelation  in  which  the  Lord  instructed 
him  that  Zion  must  be  chastened  yet  for  a  season,  although 
she  would  finally  be  redeemed.  When  they  reached  Lodi, 
New  York,  they  preached  in  the  evening  and  made  a  further 
appointment  for  the  day  following  at  a  Presbyterian  meeting 
house,  the  use  of  which  had  been  promised  to  them.  But 
when  many  people  had  assembled  outside  the  hall  to  hear  Jos- 
eph, they  were  refused  admission  by  the  jealous  sectarians  in 
charge,  and  the  indignant  congregation  went  home  in  great 
confusion.  On  the  17th  day  of  October  the  Prophet  and  his 
companions  reached  the  home  of  Freeman  A.  Mckerson  at 
Mount  Pleasant  in  Upper  Canada;  and  at  this  place  and  the 
adjoining  town  of  Brantford  and  the  village  of  Colburn  and 
"Waterford,  they  held  several  meetings  which  were  blessed  by 
a  great  outflow  of  the  Spirit  of  God  and  by  the  presence  of 
many  honest-hearted  people.  Upon  one  occasion  at  Colburn 
they  were  beset  very  tumultuously  in  one  of  their  meetings  by 
a  "Wesleyan  Methodist  who  was  determined  that  the  assembled 
people  should  not  hear  the  gospel.  But  his  own  lack  of  logic 
and  courtesy  injured  himself  rather  than  the  persons  against 
whom  his  violent  efforts  were  directed.  On  the  26th  day  of 
October  after  preaching  to  a  large  congregation  at  Mount 
Pleasant,  Joseph  baptized  twelve  persons  and  on  each  of  the 
two  following  days  he  baptized  two  persons,  all  of  whom  were 
confirmed  as  members  of  the  Church.  The  Prophet  also 
ordained  E.  F.  Nickerson  to  be  an  Elder ;  and  he  gave  much 
instruction  to  the  newly  converted  Saints  concerning  the  truth 
and  the  constant  necessity  for  watchfulness  and  humility. 
This  labor  made  a  considerable  opening  in  this  region  for  the 
further  preaching  of  the  truth.  It  was  not,  however,  the  first 
proclamation  of  the  gospel  in  Canada,  because  as  early  as  July 
20th  of  the  same  year,  1833,  Elder  Orson  Pratt  had  preached 
to  the  people  in  Patten. 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  155 

On  the  29th  clay  of  October  the  Prophet  and  his  compan- 
ions departed  from  Mount  Pleasant  for  Kirtland;  and  on 
Monday  the  4th  day  of  November  the  Prophet  reached  his 
home  and  found  his  family  in  peace,  as  had  been  promised  in 
the  revelation  given  to  him  at  Perrysburg. 

The  inhabitants  of  Geauga  County,  Ohio,  in  which  Kirt- 
land  was  situated,  began  now  to  partake  of  a  persecuting  and 
mobocratic  spirit,  and  threatened  the  Saints  resident  there  with 
similar  afflictions  to  those  which  had  been  visited  upon  their 
brethren  in  Missouri.  The  Prophet  knew  of  the  hate  that 
was  raging  around  him  but  he  calmly  viewed  the  situation  and 
in  writing  to  Bishop  Partridge  at  Clay  County,  Missouri, 
under  date  of  December  5th,  1833,  he  said: 

"  The  inhabitants  of  this  county  threaten  our  destruction, 
and  we  know  not  how  soon  they  may  be  permitted  to  follow 
the  examples  of  the  Missourians  ;  but  our  trust  is  in  God,  and 
we  are  determined  by  His  grace  assisting  us  to  maintain  the 
cause  and  hold  out  faithful  unto  _  the  end,  that  we  may  be 
crowned  with  crowns  of  celestial  glory,  and  enter  into  the  rest 
that  is  prepared  for  the  children  of  God." 

On  the  16th  day  of  December,  1833,  the  Lord  revealed  to 
Joseph  the  divine  purpose  concerning  the  Saints  in  Missouri 
saying, 

"I,  the  Lord,  have  suffered  the  affliction  to  come  upon  them,  wherewith 
they  have  been  afflicted,  in  consequence  of  their  transgressions  ; 

"Yet  I  will  own  them,  and  they  shall  be  mine  in  that  day  when  I  shall 
come  to  make  up  my  jewels. 

"Therefore,  they  must  needs  be  chastened  and  tried,  even  as  Abraham, 
who  was  commanded  to  offer  up  his  only  son  ; 

"For  all  those  who  will  not  endure  chastening,  but  deny  me,  cannot  be 
sanctified. ' ' 


"And  they  that  have  been  scattered  shall  be  gathered  ; 

"And  all  they  who  have  mourned  shall  be  comforted  ; 

' '  And  all  they  who  have  given  their  lives  for  my  name  shall  be  crowned 

"  Therefore,  let  your  hearts  be  comforted  concerning  Zion  ;  for  all  flesh 
is  in  mine  hands :  be  still  and  know  that  I  am  God. 

"Zion  shall  not  be  moved  out  of  her  place,  notwithstanding  her 
children  are  scattered ; 


156  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

"They  that  remain,  and  are  pure  in  heart,  shall  return,  and  come  to 
their  inheritances,  they  and  their  children,  with  songs  of  everlasting  joy, 
to  build  up  the  waste  places  of  Zion." 

And  immediately  after  the  revelation  was  received  the 
Prophet  sent  William  Pratt  and  David  W.  Patten  as  messengers 
to  the  scattered  Saints  of  Missouri  to  give  them  words  of 
comfort  and  instruction. 

Early  in  the  month  of  December,  1833,  Bishop  Newel  K. 
Whitney  and  Oliver  Cowdery  had  brought  to  Kirtland  a  new 
printing  press,  and  on  the  18th  day  of  the  month  a  printing 
office  in  Kirtland  was  dedicated  to  the  Lord  and  His  purposes, 
and  Oliver  Cowdery  began  the  publication  of  the  Evening  and 
Morning  Star  which  had  been  cast  out  of  Missouri.  On  the 
day  that  Joseph  dedicated  the  printing  establishment  to  the 
service  of  the  Lord,  his  father,  Joseph  Smith,  Senior,  was 
ordained  to  be  the  Patriarch  of  the  whole  Church.  On  that 
day  Joseph  wrote : 

"And  blessed  is  my  father  for  the  hand  of  the  Lord  will 
be  over  him,  for  he  shall  see  the  afflictions  of  his  children  pass 
away,  and  when  his  head  is  fully  ripe,  he  shall  behold  himself 
as  an  olive,  whose  branches  are  bowed  down  with  much  fruit ; 
he  shall  also  possess*  a  mansion  on  high." 

In  view  of  all  that  has  since  occurred,  it  is  a  remarkable 
fact,  that  the  Prophet  recorded  in  his  journal  of  the  31st 
of  December,  1833,  the  fact  that  "Wilford  Woodruff  was 
baptized  at  Richland,  Oswego  County,  New  York,  by  Zerah 
Pulsipher."  And  this  was  before  the  Prophet  and  the 
future  Apostle  and  President  had  ever  met  in  the  flesh.  This 
is  not  the  only  mention  of  Wilford  Woodruff  in  Joseph's 
diary  prior  to  their  meeting.  In  one  place  the  Prophet  notices 
that  Wilford  had  been  ordained  a  teacher.  It  was  the  25th 
day  of  April,  1834,  when  Wilford  Woodruff  visited  the 
Prophet  at  Kirtland,  and  from  that  time  on  until  Joseph's  death 
they  were  intimately  associated.  It  was  clear  that  Joseph  felt 
the  staunch  worthiness  of  his  young  brother,  and  in  relying 
on  him  the  Prophet  was  leaning  upon  no  weak  or  broken  reed, 
for  Wilford  Woodruff"  had  then  and  has  ever  since  shown  the 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  157 

fidelity  of  a  Saint  and  the  integrity  and  prophetic  power  of  an 
Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  one  of  the  most  faithful  of 
all  the  men  who  were  gathered  near  to  the  Prophet's  person 
to  share  his  trials  and  his  confidences.  Wilford  Woodruff 
never  made  any  attempt  to  cultivate  showy  qualities,  and  yet 
he  was  always  marked  among  his  fellows ;  his  characteristic 
humility  and  unswerving  honesty  being  sufficient  to  attract  the 
attention  of  all  who  have  known  him.  His  is  another  of  the 
names  to  be  recorded  with  that  of  Joseph,  and  it  is  worthy  to 
stand  side  by  side  with  the  names  of  Brigham  Young  and 
John  Taylor,  for  he  was  as  loyal  to  them  as  he  and  they  were 
to  Joseph,  the  first  Prophet  of  this  dispensation. 


CHAPTEE  XXVI. 

THE    JACKSON  COUNTY  PERSECUTIONS APPEAL  TO  GOVERNOR  DUNK- 
LIN HIS    TIMID     REPLY HEARTLESS      DRIVINGS A     BRUTAL 

MURDER BOGGS  ALLOWS  THE  MOB  TO    ORGANIZE  AS  A  MILITIA 

—PITCHER      PLACED      IN       COMMAND CERTAIN      MEN     TAKEN 

IN    CUSTODY    BY     THE    MOB SETTLEMENT     IN    CLAY    COUNTY 

COURT    OF    INQUIRY. 

"Be  still  and  know  that  I  am  God." 

THESE  are  the  words  with  which  the  Almighty  answered  Jos- 
eph, when  he  importuned  Heaven  concerning  the  woes  of  the 
Saints  in  Missouri.  And  so  he  was  wont  to  solace  himself 
and  his  brethren  with  the  remembrance  of  the  revealed  word 
that,  "After  much  tribulation  cometh  the  blessing."  How 
many  years  of  the  people  or  days  of  the  Lord  must  elapse 
before  the  Saints  would  be  planted  in  power  in  Zion,  the 
Prophet  could  not  learn  ;  but  this  he  did  know,  that  after  her 
term  of  affliction  and  purification  had  passed  she  would  be 
redeemed  and  beautified,  and  this  is  the  promise  that  he  uttered 


158  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

to  his  brethren  in  Kirtland  and  wrote  to  the  Saints  in 
Missouri. 

While  Joseph  had  been  traveling  in  the  missionary  field, 
momentous  events  took  place  in  the  far  west.  The  truce 
which  the  mob  had  made,  the  mob  had  broken.  Assaults  upon 
the  houses  of  the  Saints  were  of  constant  occurrence.  Satan 
was  not  satisfied  that  the  people  of  the  Lord  should  peacefully 
migrate  with  their  few  possessions  into  some  other  region; 
and  the  more  turbulent  spirits  in  the  rabble  began  to  threaten 
the  lives  of  leading  men  at  Independence  and  to  declare  that 
all  of  the  people,  men,  women  and  children,  should  be  whipped 
out  of  the  county.  An  attempfrwas  made  to  establish  a  colony 
in  Van  Buren  County,  in  the  south.  Some  of  the  Saints 
settled  there  and  began  to  labor  diligently  in  the  fields,  but 
the  spirit  of  rnobocracy  had  spread,  and  a  mob  rose  in  arms, 
threatening  to  drive  the  Saints  further  into  exile. 

On  the  28th  day  of  September,  1833,  a  petition  was 
addressed  to  His  Excellency  Daniel  Dunklin,  Governor  of  the 
State  of  Missouri,  by  the  persecuted  people  in  Jackson  County; 
and  it  was  carried  to  the  executive  office  in  Jefferson  City  by 
Elders  Orson  Hyde  and  William  W.  Phelps.  In  this  eloquent 
document  a  recital  was  made  of  the  woes  to  which  the  people 
had  been  subjected,  of  the  patience  with  which  they  had 
borne  these  outrages,  of  the  utter  subversion  of  the 
principles  of  law  and  humanity,  and  of  the  partici- 
pation in  these  outrages  of  leading  men  in  the  state,  civil  and 
military  officers,  politicians  and  preachers.  The  final  appeal 
in  this  petition  was  as  follows : 

"Knowing,  as  we  do,  that  the  threats  of  this  mob,  in 
most  cases,  have  been  put  into  execution,  and  knowing  also, 
that  every  officer,  civil  and  military,  with  a  very  few  excep- 
tions, has  pledged  his  life  and  honor  to  force  us  from  the 
county,  dead  or  alive;  and  believing  that  civil  process  cannot 
be  served  without  the  aid  of  the  Executive;  and  not  wishing 
to  have  the  blood  of  our  defenceless  women  and  children 
to  stain  the  land  which  has  once  been  stained  by  the  blood  of 
our  fathers  to  purchase  our  liberty;  we  appeal  to  the  Governor 
for  aid,  asking  him  by  express  proclamation,  or  otherwise,  to 
raise  a  sufficient  number  of  troops,  who,  with  us  may  be 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  159 

empowered,  to  defend  our  rights,  that  we  may  sue  for  damages 
in  the  loss  of  property — for  abuse — for  defamation,  as  to 
oiirx-lvcs;  and  if  advisable  try  for  treason  against  the 
government;  that  the  law  of  the  land  may  not  be  defied,  nor 
nullified,  but  peace  be  restored  to  our  country: — And  we 
will  ever  pray." 

Not  one  word  in  this  petition  had  been  set  down  in 
malice;  it  was  temperate  and  respectful;  and  though  its 
utterances  were  strong,  they  were  borne  out  by  incorruptible 
testimony  as  well  as,  mainly,  by  the  admissions  of  the  mob 
themselves. 

After  such  an  appeal  the  Saints  were  entitled  to  prompt 
action  and  help.  The  Governor  merely  replied  that  the 
attorney-general  of  the  state  was  absent,  and  upon  his  return 
a  response  would  be  prepared  and  sent  by  mail  to  Independ- 
ence. The  messengers  from  Zion  journeyed  back  with  empty 
hands,  and,  awaited  amidst  the  tide  of  persecution,  which  was 
rising  higher  and  higher  around  them,  the  signal  of  succor 
from  the  executive  office. 

About  the  26th  of  October,  1833,  a  reply  was  received 
from  Governor  Dunklin  in  which  he  says : 

"Xo  citizen,  nor  number  of  citizens,  have  a  right  to 
take  the  redress  of  their  grievances,  whether  real  or  imagi- 
nary, into  their  own  hands.  Such  conduct  strikes  at  the 
very  existence  of  society  and  subverts  the  foundation  on 
which  it  is  based..  Not  being  willing  to  persuade  myself  that  any 
portion  of  the  citizens  of  the  state  of  Missouri  are  so  lost  to  a  sense 
of  these  truths  as  to  require  the  exercise  of  force,  in  order  to  ensure 
respect  for  them. 

"After  advising  with  the  attorney-general,  and  exer- 
cising my  best  judgment,  I  would  advise  you  to  make  a  trial 
of  the  efficacy  of  the  laws;  the  judge  of  your  circuit  is  a 
conservator  of  the*  peace.  If  an  affidavit  is  made  before 
him  by  any  of  you,  that  your  lives  are  threatened  and  you 
believe  them  in  danger,  it  would  be  his  duty  to  have  the 
offenders  apprehended  and  bind  them  to  keep  the  peace." 

Such  was  the  redress  offered  by  the  man  whose  sworn 
duty  it  was  to  see  that  the  laws  were  faithfully  executed !  The 
lamb  was  sent  back  by  the  lion  to  ask  protection  from  the 


160  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

wolf !  It  has  often  happened  since  in  the  history  of  the  Saints, 
as  it  was  then,  that  the  men  who  should  have  been  their 
vigilant  protectors  against  plunderers  and  murderers,  have 
been  among  the  thieves  and  assassins. 

But  Governor  Dunklin's  letter  contained  a  promise  that, 
in  the  event  of  a  failure  to  get  proper  execution  of  the  law  in 
Jackson  County,  he  would,  upon  official  notification,  take 
further  steps  to  enforce  its  faithful  observance.  Upon  this 
slight  hope,  the  Saints  began  to  restore  their  houses  to 
comfort  and  to  labor  in  the  fields  for  their  maintenance. 

The  Saints  had  engaged  four  lawyers  to  aid  them  in 
obtaining  a  redress  of  their  grievances,  and  as  soon  as  this 
fact  became  known  the  event  occurred  which  Governor  Dunklin 
should  have  foreseen.  With  tenfold  intensity  the  fire  of 
hatred  raged  against  the  people.  On  the  night  of  October 
31st  an  armed  mob  attacked  a  settlement  of  the  Saints  west 
of  Big  Blue,  tore  the  roofs  from  many  of  the  dwelling  houses, 
whipped  the  men  and  drove  the  women  and  children 
screaming  into  the  wilderness.  The  profanity  of  the  mob  was 
appalling.  None  of  the  Saints  were  armed,  and  the  resistance 
which  they  might  have  offered  with  sticks  was  forbidden  by 
their  captors  under  penalty  of  death.  Satiated  with  brutality 
the  mob  at  length  retired,  leaving  orders  that  the  Saints — 
men,  women  and  children — should  leave  the  county.  The 
next  day  was  the  first  of  bleak  November;  and  when  the 
cold  morning  dawned,  the  Saints  crept  out  of  their  hiding 
places  whither  they  had  fled  for  safety,  and  came  back  to 
their  despoiled  homes  to  find  their  habitations  and  their 
gardens  in  ruins.  The  women  wept  for  their  scourged  and 
bleeding  husbands.  Children  sobbed  with  hunger,  cold  and 
fear.  How  were  these  plundered  people  to  find  means  for 
journeying  to  a  land  of  safety  ?  And  whither  were  they  to 
go?  Asylum  had  already  been  denied  them  in  the  adjoining 
county ;  adequate  protection  had  been  practically  denied  to 
them  by  the  civil  power  of  the  state ;  and  they  had  no  hope 
that  any  section  of  Missouri  would  harbor  them. 

Such  scenes  of  horror  were  repeated  night  after  night  at 
Independence  and  every  dwelling  place  of  the  Saints  in  that 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  161 

county.  At  Independence  on  the  1st  of  November,  one  of 
the  mob  was  caught  in  the  very  act  of  robbing  the  store  of 
Gilbert  and  Whitney  and  was  carried  before  Samuel  Weston, 
a  justice  of  the  peace;  but  despite  the  boast  ot  the  Governor, 
Mr.  Weston  refused  to  issue  a  warrant  or  to  entertain  the 
case,  and  the  robber  was  turned  loose  to  join  his  fellows 
in  a  continuation  of  murderous  work.  Other  efforts  were 
made  to  secure  the  aid  of  judicial  power  to  stop  the  horrible 
work  of  the  rabble ;  but  in  vain.  Such  of  the  officers  of  the  law 
as  were  not  allied  with  the  mob  dared  not  assert  their  authority. 
And  so  the  work  of  rapine  went  on  until  it  ended  in  murder. 

The  3rd  day  of  November,  1833,  was  Sunday,  and  the 
Saints  hoped  for  a  cessation  of  hostilities;  but  none  came. 
Word  went  out  among  the  mob  that  Monday  would  be  a 
bloody  time.  On  November  the  4th,  the  day  of  Joseph's 
return  to  Kirtland  from  his  Canada  mission,  a  large  party  of 
the  mob  fired  upon  some  of  the  Saints  west  of  Big  Blue. 
Several  ot  the  Saints  were  wounded,  two  desperately.  These 
were  young  men  named  Barber  and  Dibble,  who  were  thought 
to  have  been  fatally  injured;  but  Philo  Dibble  finally  recov- 
ered, and  at  the  time  of  this  writing  is  still  living,  a  respected 
citizen  of  Utah  Territory.  After  lingering  in  great  agony, 
Barber  died  the  next  day.  Three  times  arid  more  the  Saints 
had  permitted  their  enemies  to  smite  them,  and  three  times 
and  more  they  had  submitted  patiently.  They  had  appealed 
to  civil  and  military  power  in  vain,  and  now  the  sight  of  blood 
thus  wantonly  shed  aroused  in  them  a  strong  spirit  of  resistance. 
When  the  mob  continued  the  massacre  they  were  greeted  by 
shots  from  such  of  the  Saints  as  had  guns,  and  two  of  the  mob 
fell  dead.  One  of  them,  Hugh  L.  Brazeale,  had  often  boasted, 
"I  will  wade  to  my  knees  in  blood  but  that  I  will  drive  the 
Mormons  from  Jackson  County/' 

The  men  who  had  caught  the  mobber  in  the  act  of  plun- 
dering Gilbert  and  Whitney's  store  were  arrested  upon  a  fic- 
titious charge  of  assault  upon  that  wretch.  Apparently  the 
mob  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  process  of  court  and  secur- 
ing its  service.  An  effort  was  made  to  kill  these  prisoners 
while  they  were  in  charge  of  the  officers  of  the  law,  and  shots 


162  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

were  fired  at  them,  and  they  had  to  be  placed  in  jail  to  protect 
their  lives. 

And  now  comes  the  most  diabolical  feature  of  all  the  per- 
secution in  Missouri  up  to  that  date.  On  the  5th  clay  of 
November,  1833,  Lieutenant-Governor  Boggs  permitted  the 
mob  to  organize  as  a  militia,  and  placed  them  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Thomas  Pitcher.  While  the  Saints  showed 
no  intention  of  resisting,  the  rabble  did  not  feel  the  need  of 
such  organization  ;  but  when  it  was  found  that,  driven  to  the  last 
extremity,  the  Saints  would  fight  for  their  lives,  Boggs  clothed 
the  mob  with  military  power  that  resistance  to  them  might  be 
charged  against  the  Saints  as  insurrection  against  the  legal 
authorities  of  the  state  of  Missouri. 

Colonel  Pitcher  demanded  that  the  Saints  should  give  up 
their  arms;  that  certain  men,  who  had  been  engaged  in  the 
fight  west  of  Big  Blue,  should  be  delivered  into  his  hands  to 
be  tried  for  murder;  and  that  the  people  should  leave  the 
county  forthwith.  It  was  clear  thaj  the  alternative  was  death 
to  the  men  and  outrage  to  the  women  and  children.  And  so 
the  Saints  yielded  under  solemn  promise  of  protection.  As 
soon  as  the  demand  was  complied  with,  the  mob  rushed  like 
demons  in  various  directions,  bursting  violently  into  houses  and 
threatening  the  women  and  children  with  massacre.  One 
party  of  the  mob  was  headed  by  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy,  and  other 
preachers  joined  in  the  rabble.  Men,  women  and  children 
fled  to  the  prairie  and  to  the  river  banks,  seeking  in  the  wil- 
derness— amidst  all  its  terrors — a  peace  denied  them  by  civil- 
ized men.  Husbands  and  wives  and  children  were  separated, 
and  one  knew  not  whether  his  beloved  kin  were  dead  or 
alive. 

Who  can  say  that  a  restoration  of  the  Gospel  of  Peace 
was  not  necessary  in  such  an  age  ? 

After  a  time  most  of  the  scattered  Saints  gathered  in 
Clay  County  where  a  court  of  inquiry  was  ordered  by  Gov- 
ernor Dunklin,  but  the  murderers  and  robbers  who  slew  the 
Saints  and  took  their  substance  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri, 
went  unwhipped  of  justice.  Clay  County  was  the  only  section 
of  the  state  which  received  the  Saints  with  any  degree  of 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  163 

charity.  From  Van  "Buren  and  Lafayette  and  other  counties 
they  were  forced  to  flee  as  they  had  l»ccii  from  Jackson. 

In  Clay  County,  where  many  ot  them  had  found  a  haven 
of  rest  among  noble-hearted  citizens,  the  Saints  prepared  and 
sent  up  to  Governor  Dunkliii  such  piteous  appeals  as  might 
have  melted  a  heart  of  adamant.  They  had  been  stripped  of 
all  their  worldly  substance;  winter  was  upon  them;  they  even 
lacked  food  and  raiment;  and  from  hour  to  hour  they  were  in 
expectation  of  further  assaults.  It  was  their  supplication  to  the 
Governor  that  he  would  use  the  power  of  the  state  to  restore 
them  to  their  lands  and  possessions,  and  to  give  a  sufficient 
guard  to  a  court  of  inquiry  which  might  examine  into  the 
whole  history  of  the  outrages  made  against  them.  The  court 
of  inquiry  was  held,  and  Colonel  Pitcher  was  arraigned  and 
ordered  for  further  trial  by  court  martial.  But  it  soon  became 
clear  that  the  Saints  could  not  be  restored  to  their  lands  in 
Jackson  County  under  existing  conditions;  because  the  mob 
swore  that  if  they  returned,  there  would  be  a  wholesale  massa- 
cre of  Mormons,  and  the  Governor,  it  was  said,  had  not  the 
constitutional  right  to  establish  a  permanent  guard  for  the  per- 
sons and  property  of  the  defenceless  Saints. 

Messengers  had  gone  at  various  times  from  the  scenes  of 
outrage  in  Missouri  to  the  Prophet  at  Kirtland,  and  when  he 
heard  the  dreadful  news  he  burst  into  tears  and  sobbed  aloud: 

"  Oh,  my  brethren,  my  brethren,  would  that  I  had  been 
with  you  to  share  your  fate.  Almighty  God,  what  shall  we  do 
in  such  a  trial  as  this ! " 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

HURLBERT'S  EFFORTS  TO  DESTROY  JOSEPH — HIGH  COUNCILS 
ORGANIZED THE  CAMP  OF  ZION A  HARD  JOURNEY — RAT- 
TLESNAKES IN  CAMP — THE  PROPHET'S  PHILOSOPHY — ELDER 
HUMPHREY'S  EXPERIENCE. 

WITH  the  opening  of  the  year  1834,  Joseph  recorded  his 
prayer  that  the  Lord  would  deliver  Zion  and  gather  in  His 
scattered  people  to  possess  it  in  peace,  and  that,  in  their  dis- 
persion, He  would  provide  for  them  that  they  might  not  perish 
of  hunger  and  cold. 

At  the  same  time  he  was  pursued  by  threats  against  his 
own  life.  The  apostate,  Doctor  P.  Hurlbert,  was  determined  to 
wreak  his  rage  upon  Joseph's  person.  Hurlbert  had  circulated 
vile  falsehoods  and  presented  lying  affidavits  among  the  peo- 
ple in  the  towns  surrounding  Kirtland,  in  the  hope  of  exciting 
mobocratic  violence.  If  personal  considerations  alone  had 
been  involved  in  these  attempts  of  Hurlbert's  to  destroy  him, 
the  Prophet  might  have  taken  no  steps  to  restrain  him  or  to 
bring  him  'to  justice.  But  his  duty  to  the  Church  demanded 
his  preservation,  and  by  his  consent  process  of  court  was 
secured  against  Hurlbert,  and  later,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1834, 
that  infamous  creature  was  found  guilty  of  threatening  to  kill 
and  was  by  a  court  at  Chardon,  Ohio,  placed  under  bonds. 

Many  high  councils  exist  in  the  Church  at  the  present 
time,  there  being  one  in  every  Stake  of  Zion.  It  was  on  the 
17th  day  of  February,  1834,  at  Kirtland,  however,  that  the 
Prophet  organized  the  first  high  council  of  the  Church. 
This  tribunal  consisted  of  twelve  High  Priests,  and  it  was 
presided  over  by  the  Prophet  and  his  two  counselors,  Sidney 
Rigdon  and  Frederick  Gr.  Williams.  Its  duty  was  to  hear  all 
matters  of  dispute  between  members  of  the  Church  who 
sought  equity,  and  to  decide  such  issues  according  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  eternal  justice.  The  plan  of  settling  disputes  and 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  165 

preventing  litigation  among  brethren,  which  the  Prophet  was 
then  inspired  to  introduce,  has  grown  with  the  growth  of  the 
Church,  and  the  high  council  has  performed  an  important 
mission  in  the  years  which  have  followed.  It  has  worked 
without  fees ;  it  has  known  no  coercion ;  the  honesty  of  its 
decisions  have  been  beyond  question;  and  often  it  has  been 
appealed  to  by  men  not  of  the  faith,  that  their  disputes  might 
be  settled  with  fairness  and  economy.  It  has  never  usurped 
the  function  of  the  criminal  courts;  it  has  never  sought  to 
enforce  its  judgment  by  any  civil  process.  It  has  only  decreed 
according  to  clear  and  unmistakable  justice  and  has  left  the 
parties  to  accept  the  judgment,  and  if  not  complied  with  or 
appealed  from,  to  have  Church  fellowship  withdrawn  from 
them.  The  rules  which  the  Prophet  established  to  control  its 
proceedings  under  divine  guidance  were  delivered  to  it  at  the 
time  of  organization,  and  they,  speaking  of  all  the  high  coun- 
cils which  have  since  been  organized,  are  still  governed  by 
them.  To  confirm  the  twelve  ch6sen  men  in  their  places  the 
Prophet  laid  his  hands  upon  each  one's  head  and  blessed  him 
with  the  gifts  and  authority  necessary  for  his  calling. 

The  first  act  of  the  high  council  at  Kirtland  was  to 
declare  Joseph  Smith  the  President  of  the  Church  with  Sidney 
Rigdon  and  Frederick  G.  Williams  as  the  other  members  of 
the  First  Presidency. 

All  this  time  the  cry  of  the  exiled  Saints  in  Missouri  was 
ascending  to  Heaven  for  the  redemption  of  their  homes  and 
for  their  own  release  from  oppression.  In  a  revelation  given 
to  the  Prophet  February  24,  1834,  the  Lord  made  known  that 
the  wicked  had  been  permitted  to  fill  up  the  measure  of  their 
iniquities  that  those  who  are  called  after  His  name  might  be 
chastened  for  a  season ;  because  in  many  things  they  had  not 
hearkened  unto  His  commandments.  He  declared  that  in  His 
own  due  time  the  punishment  of  His  wrath  should  be  poured 
out  upon  the  persecutors  of  His  Saints,  and  He  promised 
the  elect  that  they  should  repossess  the  goodly  land  from 
which  they  had  been  driven.  The  Prophet  was  commanded 
to  gather  up  the  strength  of  the  Lord's  house  to  journey  to 
the  land  Zion  to  assist  the  scattered  Saints.  Two  days  later 


166  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

he  departed  for  the  East  to  obtain  assistance  for  the  work  of 
the  Lord.  Other  Elders  were  also  called  to  perform  similar 
missions.  The  Prophet  traveled  as  far  as  Geneseo,  New 
York,  reaching  there  on  the  15th  day  of  March,  1834.  On 
the  way  he  preached  to  many  of  the  congregations  of  Saints 
and  also  to  many  assemblages  of  unbelievers.  On  the  19th  of 
March  he  began  his  return  journey  to  Kirtland,  which  place 
he  reached  on  the  28th.  On  the  18th  day  of  April,  1834, 
while  Joseph  was  journeying  in  company  with  Sidney  Rigdon, 
Oliver  Cowdery  and  Zebedee  Coltrin  to  New  Portage  for  the 
purpose  of  gathering  up  help  for  Zion,  an  effort  was  made  by 
a  party  of  men  to  capture  them  as  they  traveled  along  the 
road  after  darkness  had  fallen.  By  driving  rapidly  they 
escaped  the  hands  of  the  bandits  who  sent  a  torrent  of  curses 
after  the  Prophet's  party. 

It  was  the  5th  day  of  May,  1834,  when  Joseph,  having 
gathered  clothing  and  food  for  his  brethren  and  sisters  in 
Missouri  who  had  been  robbed  and  plundered  of  their  effects, 
departed,  with  a  company  of  brethren,  from  Kirtland  to  find 
and  succor  the  distressed  Saints.  His  party  consisted  of  about 
one  hundred  men,  nearly  all  young  and  nearly  all  endowed 
with  the  Priesthood.  At  New  Portage  they  were  joined  by 
fifty  men,  some  of  whom  had  gone  in  advance  of  the  main 
body  from  Kirtland.  A  careful  and  harmonious  organization 
of  the  company  was  made  that  the  progress  of  this  Camp  of 
Zion  might  be  in  steadiness  and  order. 

The  wagons  of  the  party  numbered  twenty  and  were  filled 
with  provisions  and  clothing,  and  such  arms  as  the  company 
needed  for  the  securing  of  game  and  for  defence.  Nearly  all 
of  the  men  were  compelled  to  walk,  and  Joseph  cheerfully 
led  their  journey.  They  traveled  sometimes  forty  or  fifty 
miles  in  a  day,  resting  always  on  the  Sabbath  and  holding 
religious  services.  Every  night  they  retired  to  their  tents  at 
the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  and  every  man  bowed  to  the  Lord 
in  thanksgiving  for  the  blessings  of  the  day  and  in  supplica- 
tion for  the  welfare  of  the  families  they  were  leaving  behind 
and  the  poor  Saints  they  were  going  to  meet.  And  every 
morning  at  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  every  man  arose  and  fell 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  167 

upon  his  knees  before  Heaven,  invoking  its  watchful  care  dur- 
ing the  day. 

The  march  was  necessarily  one  of  great  hardship.  The 
men  waded  rivers,  struggled  through  marshes  and  tramped 
across  hard  stretches  of  hill  and  sandy  plain.  Many  of  them 
suffered  from  bruised  and  bleeding  feet.  Often  they  were 
harassed  by  evil  men  who  suspected  their  mission  and  sought 
to  prevent  its  fulfillment. 

A  few  persons  in  the  Camp  had  proved  unruly,  and  while 
they  were  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Illinois  River,  Joseph  was  led 
to  utter  a  solemn  warning  against  the  dissensions  of  some  of 
his  brethren.  He  exhorted  them  to  faithfulness  and  humility, 
and  told  them  that  the  Lord  had  revealed  to  him  that  a 
scourge  must  come  upon  them  in  consequence  of  their  dis- 
obedience. Still  if  they  would  repent  and  humble  themselves 
before  the  Lord,  a  part  of  the  severity  of  the  scourge  might 
be  turned  away. 

Joseph  and  his  brethren  reached  the  banks  of  the  Missis- 
sippi on  the  4th  day  of  June,  and  encamped  at  a  point  where 
the  river  was  a  mile  and  a  half  in  width.  Having  but  one 
ferry  boat  two  days  were  required  in  which  to  make  the  pas- 
sage of  the  entire  party  from  Illinois  into  Missouri.  Besides, 
they  were  delayed,  though  not  prevented,  by  the  menace  of 
numerous  enemies  who  swore  that  they  should  not  pass 
beyond  the  Mississippi. 

One  of  the  instructions  given  by  the  Prophet  during  this 
journey  was  that  his  brethren  should  not  kill  an  animal  of  any 
kind,  unless  it  became  absolutely  necessary  to  save  themselves 
from  starvation.  On  one  occasion,  while  the  Prophet's  tent 
was  being  pitched  at  camp  the  men  saw  three  rattlesnakes 
and  were  about  to  kill  them,  but  Joseph  forbade  the  act.  He 
asked  the  Elders  how  would  the  serpent  ever  lose  its  venom 
while  the  servants  of  God  made  war  upon  it  with  desire  to 
kill.  He  said  :  "Men  themselves  must  first  become  harmless 
before  they  can  expect  the  brute  creation  to  be  so.  When 
man  shall  lose  his  own  vicious  disposition  and  cease  to  destroy 
the  inferior  animals,  the  lion  and  the  lamb  may  dwell  together 
and  the  suckling  child  play  with  the  serpent  in  safety."  It 


168  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

was  a  deep  philosophy  and  contrary  to  the  preconceived  notions 
and  early  lessons  of  his  brethren ;  but  they  obeyed.  And 
soon  they  experienced  the  truth  of  his  words.  One  of  the 
members  of  the  camp  by  the  name  of  Solomon  Humphrey  lay 
down  on  the  prairie  one  day  to  rest.  He  fell  asleep  with  his 
hat  in  his  hand.  While  he  slumbered  a  large  rattlesnake 
crawled  up  and  coiled  between  him  and  his  hat,  and  when 
Elder  Humphrey  awoke  he  found  the  serpent's  head  not  a  foot 
from  his  own.  He  did  not  harm  it,  and  when  some  of  his 
brethren  would  have  killed  it,  he  stayed  their  hands,  saying: 
"No;  I  will  protect  him,  for  he  and  I  have  had  a  good  nap 
together."  Although  the  rattlesnake  was  roused  it  made  no 
effort  to  strike. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

VAIN    APPEALS    OF    THE   JACKSON    COUNTY    SAINTS    FOR    PROTECTION 

— THE    APPROACH    OF    ZION's    CAMP ATTEMPTS     TO    RAISE    AN 

OPPOSING   ARMY — JAMES    CAMPBELL'S    PROPHECY  AND  ITS  FUL- 
FILLMENT  A     PROVIDENTIAL     STORM REMARKABLE    RISE    OF 

FISHING    RIVER JOSEPH    STATES    THE    OBJECT  OF  ZION'S  CAMP 

A    COMFORTING   REVELATION. 

WHILE  the  Prophet  was  encountering  and  overcoming  many 
difficulties  to  bring  succor  to  the  Saints,  the  latter  were 
engaged  in  a  vain  struggle  to  secure  their  rights.  Correspond- 
ence passed  between  their  leaders  and  the  civil  officers  from 
the  judges  up  to  the  President  of  the  United  States.  Many 
of  the  appeals  brought  polite  replies,  but  they  resulted  in  no 
effective  aid.  Governor  Dunklin  sent  several  communica- 
tions recognizing  and  deploring  the  wrongs  inflicted,  but  stat- 
ing that  he  could  not,  without  transcending  his  power,  order  a 
military  force  to  maintain  the  Saints  in  their  Jackson  County 
possessions.  This  latter  sentiment  was  also  the  substance  of 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  169 

the  reply  from  the  Secretary  of  War  in  behalf  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  in  all 
of  the  correspondence  upon  this  question  not  a  single  charge 
is  made  against  the  Saints.  It  proves  that  in  all  things  they 
were  the  sufferers  from  Avrong  and  not  the  doers  of 
wrong;  because  the  men  to  whom  they  appealed  would  have 
been  quick  to  offer  an  excuse  for  their  failure  to  extend 
redress. 

Possibly  the  Governor  thought  he  had  done  enough  when 
he  filled  his  correspondence  with  high-minded  and  sympathetic 
sentiments;  but  of  what  avail  was  it  to  the  Saints  for  him  to 
say  to  them  as  follows  ? 

"  On  the  subject  of  civil  injuries,  I  must  refer  you  to  the 
courts ;  such  questions  rest  with  them  exclusively.  The  laws 
are  sufficient  to  afford  a  remedy  for  every  injury  of  this  kind, 
and,  whenever  you  make  out  a  case,  entitling  you  to  damages, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  entertained  of  their  ample  award.  Jus- 
tice is  sometimes  slow  in  its  progress,  but  it  is  not  less  sure  on 
that  account." 

This  was  but  a  repetition  practically  of  what  he  had  said 
before  without  avail.  Was  not  this  almost  a  mockery  of  the 
people's  disasters!  It  was  at  least  a  satire  upon  the  persistent 
denial  of  the  judicial  officers  in  Jackson  County  to  do  justice. 
Later  a  court  of  inquiry  was  convened  at  Independence,  under 
military  guard ;  but  the  mob  defied  all  the  authority  of  law, 
scoffed  at  the  Governor's  order,  subdued  the  court  into  a 
state  of  terror,  and  laughed  at  the  troops  as  they  were  with- 
drawn. A  court  martial  was  convened  and  it  found  Colonel 
Pitcher  guilty  of  calling  upon  the  militia  to  repress  an  insur- 
rection where  there  was  no  insurrection,  and  decided  that  he 
had  taken  arms  from  citizens  who  were  lawfully  seeking  to 
defend  themselves  against  unlawful  aggression;  but  the 
Governor  in  vain  commanded  the  officers  to  restore  the  arms 
to  the  people  from  whom  they  had  been  stolen.  Although 
repeated  orders  were  issued  by  his  Excellency  those  arms 
never  were  and  to  this  day  have  not  been  returned. 

The  assaults  of  the  mob  upon  the  scattered  Saints  and 
their  property  in  Jackson  County  continued.  In  the  latter 


170  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

part  of  April,  1834,  one  hundred  and  fifty  houses  were  torn 
to  the  ground  by  the  rabble. 

Joseph  and  his  party  found  a  branch  of  the  Church  at 
Salt  River,  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  where  they  encamped  to 
spend  Sunday,  the  8th  of  June.  Here  they  were  joined  by 
Hyrum  Smith  and  Lyman  Wight  with  another  party  which 
had  been  gathered  in  the  State  of  Michigan  and  surrounding 
regions ;  and  the  Camp  of  Zion,  with  this  addition,  now  num- 
bered two  hundred  and  five  men  and  twenty-five  wagons  well 
laden.  Several  days  were  devoted  to  much  needed  recupera- 
tion, for  the  greater  part  of  this  devoted  band  of  men 
had  traveled  nine  hundred  miles  in  a  little  more  than  a 
month's  time,  the  journey  being  largely  made  on  foot  amidst 
all  the  natural  hardships  of  a  wild  country  where  constant 
watchfulness  had  to  be  exercised. 

On  the  18th  of  June  they  pitched  their  tents  within  one 
mile  of  Richmond  in  Ray  County.  Two  days  previous  to  this 
time  a  mass  meeting  had  been  held  at  the  court  house  in  Lib- 
erty, Clay  County,  to  consider  propositions  made  by  the  people 
of  Jackson  County  to  the  exiled  Saints.  Flaming  war 
speeches  were  delivered  by  civil  officers  and  by  sectarian 
priests  from  Jackson  County,  who  had  hoped  to  arouse  the 
hospitable  people  of  Clay  against  their  inoffensive  guests,  the 
Saints.  Because  General  Doniphan  and  the  chairman  of  the 
meeting,  a  Mr.  Turnham,  counseled  peace  and  decency,  the 
old  spirit  of  savage  violence  broke  loose  with  all  its  virulence 
on  the  part  of  the  representatives  from  Independence,  and  the 
meeting  ended  with  a  stabbing  affray  between  two  members 
of  the  former  mob,  in  which  one  of  them  was  dangerously 
wounded.  The  leading  men  among  the  Saints  presented  an 
answer  in  which  they  asked  for  time  and  in  which  they  depre- 
cated any  hostilities  upon  either  side  during  the  pendency  of 
the  negotiation.  It  was  at  once  manifest  that  the  proposition 
of  the  mobocrats  had  been  but  a  sham  to  cover  further  vio- 
lence. The  news  of  the  approach  of  the  Prophet  and  his 
brethren  in  an  organized  camp  had  reached  the  ears  of  these 
infuriate  men,  and  they  felt  that  he  was  putting  himself  in 
their  power.  They  counted  with  entire  certainty  upon  the 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  171 

inability  of  the  officers  of  the  law  to  prevent  them  from  car- 
rying out  any  fell  purpose  which  they  might  adopt  against 
the  Latter-day  Saints.  If  there  was  an  official  who  did  not 
justify  them  in  their  attacks  upon  the  helievers  in  this  unpop- 
ular religion,  they  expected  to  overawe  him;  but  from  the 
Governor  down  they  knew  they  had  secret  sympathy  if  not 
their  active  aid.  With  all  their  innocence  and  excellence, 
therefore,  the  Latter-day  Saints  could  place  no  reliance  upon 
the  laws  and  the  safeguards  of  civilized  society  to  protect 
them  if  these  desperadoes  chose  to  attack  them. 

The  sole  purpose  of  Joseph  and  his  brethren  was  to  bring 
succor  to  their  suffering  friends;  but  this  their  inhuman  ene- 
mies were  determined  they  should  not  do.  Fifteen  of  the 
most  violent  mobocrats,  with  Samuel  C.  Owens  and  Jarnes 
Campbell  at  their  head,  started  to  raise  an  army  to  meet  and 
overpower  the  Camp  of  Zion.  James  Campbell  swore  as  he 
adjusted  his  pistols  in  the  holsters,  "The  eagles  and  turkey 
buzzards  shall  eat  my  flesh  if  I  do  not  fix  Joe  Smith  and  his 
'army  so  that  their  skins  will  not  hold  shucks,  before  two  days 
are  past."  That  night  as  twelve  of  these  mobocrats  were 
attempting  to  cross  the  Missouri  River  their  boat  was  sunk 
and  seven  of  them  were  drowned.  Among  the  lost  was 
Campbell,  whose  corpse  floated  down  the  river  several  miles 
and  lodged  upon  a  pile  of  driftwood,  where  ravenous  birds 
did  indeed  pick  his  flesh  from  his  bones,  leaving  the  hideous 
bare  skeleton  to  be  discovered  three  weeks  later 'by  one  Mr. 
Purtle. 

On  the  night  of  the  19th,  unobserved  by  a  large  party  of 
their  enemies  who  intended  to  fall  upon  them  and  murder 
them,  the  members  of  Zion's  Camp  passed  through  Richmond 
in  the  darkness,  and  pitched  their  tents  between  two  branches 
of  Fishing  River. 

While  the  members  of  the  Camp  were  making  prepara- 
tions for  the  night  five  armed  desperadoes  appeared  before 
them  and,  with  many  blasphemies,  said:  "You  will  see  hell 
before  morning.  Sixty  men  are  coming  from  Richmond,  and 
seventy  more  from  Clay  County  to  utterly  destroy  you." 
More  than  three  hundred  bloodthirsty  men  had  engaged  to 


172  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

•concentrate  at  this  point  and  attack  Joseph.  But,  to  the  subse- 
quent unbounded  thankfulness  of  the  members  of  the  Camp, 
the  Lord  interposed.  When  night  came  a  mighty  hurricane 
.arose,  throwing  the  plans  of  these  savages  into  confusion, 
scattering  them  in  the  utmost  disorder,  and  melting  their 
courage  into  abject  fright  in  the  presence  of  the  awful  ele- 
mental strife.  The  severity  of  the  storm  was  not  felt  to  the 
same  extent  where  Joseph  and  the  Camp  had  rested,  but 
.around  them  hail  fell  like  grapeshot,  spreading  terror  among 
the  people  and  devastation  amidst  all  the  work  of  human 
hands. 

While  the  surrounding  region  was  in  this  state  of  con- 
sternation, Joseph  and  his  party  took  refuge  in  a  log  meeting 
house  near  their  camp,  being  compelled  to  enter  the  building 
through  a  window.  When  the  commotion  was  over  and  they 
emerged  from  their  retreat,  the  Prophet  gave  orders  that  the 
parties  to  whom  the  house  belonged  should  be  visited  and  ten- 
dered an  explanation  of  the  intrusion  and  remuneration  for 
any  fancied  damage.  So  scrupulous  was  he  not  to  trespass 
upon  the  rights  of  others. 

When  the  tornado  burst  only  forty  of  the  mob  had  been 
able  to  cross  Fishing  River.  They  afterwards  swore  that  the 
Little  Fishing  River  rose  thirty  feet  in  thirty  minutes,  separ- 
ating them  from  their  companions,  and  making  them  glad  to 
flee  back  among  their  lawless  friends  in  Jackson  County.  The 
larger  party  of  the  mob,  thus  foiled  in  their  purpose  to  cross 
the  river,  also  fled.  The  Big  Fishing  River  had  risen  nearly 
forty  feet  in  one  night.  One  of  the  mob  had  been  killed  by 
lightning. 

On  Saturday,  the  21st  of  June,  Colonel  Sconce  and  two 
other  leading  men  of  Ray  County  visited  Joseph  and  begged 
to  know  his  intentions,  stating:  "We  see  that  there  is  an 
almighty  power  that  protects  this  people."  Colonel  Sconce 
confessed  that  he  had  been  leading  a  company  of  armed  men 
to  fall  upon  the  Prophet,  but  had  been  driven  back  by  the 
storm.  The  Prophet,  with  all  the  mildness  and  dignity  which 
ever  sat  so  becomingly  upon  him  and  which  always  impressed 
liia  hearers,  answered  that  he  had  come  to  administer  to  the 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  173" 

wants  of  his  afflicted  friends  and  did  not  wish  to  molest  or 
injure  anybody.  He  then  made  a  full  and  fair  statement  of 
the  difficulties  as  he  understood  them ;  and  when  he  had 
closed,  the  three  ambassadors,  melted  into  compassion,  offered 
their  hands  and  declared  that  they  would  use  every  endeavor 
to  allay  the  excitement. 

On  the  22nd  day  of  June,  1834,  while  encamped  on  Fish- 
ing River,  Joseph  received  a  revelation  in  which  the  Lord 
declared  that  the  Elders  should  wait  for  a  season  for  the 
redemption  of  Zion  ;  that  He  did  not  require  at  their  hands  to- 
fight  the  battles  of  Zion,  for  He  would  fight  their  battles ;  and  this- 
He  addressed  to  the  Camp  which  had  come  up  from  Kirtland 
and  other  places  into  Missouri  to  do  His  will  and  with  the 
hope  that  they  might  contribute  to  the  redemption  of  Hi& 
afflicted  people.  The  Lord  rebuked  many  among  the  Saint& 
in  the  branches  of  the  Church  in  the  different  states  for  their 
failure  to  join  the  Camp  of  Zion  in  response  to  the  call  which 
He  had  made  upon  them.-  The  Lord  had  required  the 
churches  abroad  to  send  up  wise  men  with  their  moneys  to 
purchase  lands  in  Missouri,  and  thus  assist  in  the  redemption 
of  Zion;  but  they  had  not  hearkened  unto  His  words.  After 
renewing  the  promise  that,  the  day  of  redemption  should 
surely  come,  and  promising  those  who  had  hearkened  to  His 
words  that  He  had  prepared  a  blessing  and  an  endowment 
for  them  if  they  would  continue  faithful,  the  revelation  con- 
cluded : 

"And  inasmuch  as  they  [the  Saints]  follow  the  counsel  which  they 
receive,  they  shall  have  power  after  many  days  to  accomplish  all  things  per- 
taining to  Zion. 

"And  again  I  say  unto  you,  sue  for  peace,  not  only  the  people  that  have 
smitten  you;  but  also  to  all  people  ;  , 

"And  lift  up  an  ensign  of  peace,  and  make  a  proclamation  for  peace 
unto  the  ends  of  the  earth ; 

"  And  make  proposals  for  peace  unto  those  who  have  smitten  you, 
according  to  the  voice  of  the  Spirit  which  is  in  you,  and  all  things  shall  work 
together  for  your  good  ; 

"Therefore  be  faithful,  and  behold,  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  even  unto 
the  end.  Even  so.  Amen." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  SCOURGE  OF  ZION'S    CAMP JOSEPH    AND    HYRUM    ATTACHED  BY 

CHOLERA THEIR     DELIVERANCE THE     CAMP     DISBANDED  — 

THREATS  AGAINST  THE  PROPHET — HIS    FEARLESSNESS — JOSEPH 

RETURNS     TO     KIRTLAND SYLVESTER      SMITH'S      CHARGE      OF 

IMPURITY THE  PROPHET    VINDICATED VISIT  TO  MICHIGAN— 

THE  LAW  OF  TITHING. 

THE  scourge  came  as  had  been  foretold,  and  the  Camp  of 
Zion  felt  its  terrible  effects.  Meanings  and  lamentations  filled 
the  air.  In  the  divine  economy  it  is  not  ^infrequently  the  case 
that  the  innocent  suffer  with  the  wrong-doers.  "  The  Lord 
suffereth  the  righteous  to  be  slain  that  His  justice  and  judg- 
ment may  come  upon  the  wicked."  In  this  attack  some  faith- 
ful men  fell  victims  under  the  awiul  power  of  this  scourge, 
and  the  entire  Camp  suffered  more  or  less.  In  organized 
bodies  of  Saints  experience  has  proved  that  it  is  not  always  the 
element  which  is  guilty  of  transgression  which  alone  has  to 
endure  the  consequences,  but  the  entire  body  which  harbors 
or  permits  the  impurity  has  to  suffer.  If  it  were  not  so,  there 
would  not  be  such  imperative  reason  for  a  community  to  look 
well  to  the  work  of  self-cleansing.  It  is  when  the  judgment 
of  Heaven  falls  upon  the  obedient  as  well  as  the  careless  and 
disobedient  of  any  organization  that  the  people  are  taught  to 
strive  unceasingly,  not  alone  each  for  his  own  but  all  for  the 
general  purification.  Some  of  the  men  who  went  down  from 
Kirtland  with  Joseph  and  who  had  joined  him  on  the  road 
were  among  the  noblest  of  human  kind.  They  were  of  such 
exalted  faith  and  courage  that  their  righteous  fame  stands  with 
that  of  the  greatest  disciples  of  old.  They  adhered  to  the 
Lord's  commandments  and  to  His  prophet  with  all  the  fidelity 
of  their  souls.  But  other  men — unjust,  selfish,  rebellious  by 
nature — were  also  among  the  number  of  Zion's  Camp;  and 
so  soon  as  they  became  wearied  by  hardships  they  betrayed 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  17-') 

tlu'ir  own  lack  of  innate  nobility.     It  was  this  latter  class  of 
men  which  brought  affliction  upon  the  Camp. 

It  was  about  the  22nd  day  of  June,  1834,  when  the  chol- 
era appeared  in  Zion's  Camp  at  Fishing  River.  During  the 
next  week  it  raged  in  the  midst  of  the  party.  Sixty-eight  of 
the  Saints  were  attacked  and  thirteen  of  them  died.  Among 
the  fatal  cases  was  that  of  Algernon  Sidney  Gilbert,  a  man  of 
talent  and  many  good  works,  though  not  always  able  to  sub- 
due self.  Just  before  the  destroyer  seized  him,  the  Prophet 
called  him  to  journey  to  Kirtland  to  receive  there  his  endow- 
ments and  from  there  to  proclaim  the  everlasting  gospel  of 
redemption.  Elder  Gilbert's  answer  was :  "I  would  rather  die 
than  go  forth  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles."  When 
he  thus  answered  the  Prophet  of  God  he  was  full  of  strength 
and  health;  but  in  a  few  hours  after  the  scourge  had  breathed 
upon  him  he  was  dead.  Joseph  arid  Hyrum  ministered  assid- 
uously to  the  sick,  and  soon  they  were  in  the  grasp  of  the 
cholera.  They  were  together-  when  it  seized  them;  and 
together  they  knelt  down  and  prayed  for  deliverance.  Three 
times  they  bowed  in  supplication,  the  third  time  writh  a  vow 
that  they  would  not  rise  until  deliverance  from  the  destroyer 
was  vouchsafed.  While  they  were  thus  upon  their  knees  a 
vision  of  comfort  came  to  Hyrum.  He  saw  their  mother  afar 
oft'  in  Kirtland  praying  for  her  absent  sons,  and  he  felt  that 
the  Lord  was  answering  her  cry.  Hyrum  told  Joseph  of  the 
comforting  vision  and  together  they  arose,  made  whole  every 
whit.  In  ministering  to  their  other  brethren  they  discovered 
that  to  dip  an  afflicted  person  in  cold  water  afforded  great 
relief  arid  this  was  practiced  generally  until  the  scourge  had 
run  its  threatened  course  and  had  left  the  Camp. 

During  the  days  of  the  scourge  the  Prophet  had  moved 
his  party  from  Fishing  River.  On  the  23rd  of  June,  they  had 
reached  within  five  or  six  miles  of  Liberty  in  Clay  County, 
when  General  Atchison  and  several  other  persons  went  out 
from  the  town  to  meet  the  Prophet.  They  begged  him  not  to 
go  to  Liberty  as  the  people  had  become  much  enraged. 
Accepting  the  advice,  Joseph  turned  from  the  road  to  Liberty 
and  encamped  on  the  banks  of  Rush  Creek. 


176  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

On  the  25th  of  June  the  Prophet  announced  by  letter  to 
General  Atchison  and  party,  that  he  had  concluded  to  dis- 
perse his  company,  in  order  to  allay  the  prejudice  and  fear  on 
the  part  of  citizens  of  Clay  County.  He  requested  the  gen- 
tlemen to  whom  his  note  was  addressed  to  inform  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  action  thus  taken;  because  the  Prophet  knew 
that  Duriklin's  ears  were  being  filled  with  the  most  malicious 
rumors  concerning  the  purpose  entertained  by  Zion's  Camp. 
In  execution  of  his  promise  Joseph  disbanded  his  party,  and 
the  brethren  scattered  themselves  among  the  .Saints  of  that 
region. 

The  next  day  a  report  was  received  from  one  S.  C.  Owens, 
a  leader  of  the  Jackson  County  mob,  in  which  he  declared 
that  his  people  would  not  accept  the  proposition  of  the  Saints 
— to  buy  the  lands  of  the  men  who  objected  to  the  Saints 
returning  to  their  homes  in  Jackson  County — nor  anything 
akin  to  it.  He  coolly  recommended  that  the  Saints  "cast 
their  eye"  on  a  distant  and  uninhabited  spot  which  he  named, 
"to  see  if  that  was  not  a  country  calculated  for  them." 

One  appeal  after  another  was  being  made  to  the  Governor 
of  the  state ;  but  so  far  as  practical  help  was  concerned,  all 
were  unanswered.  Active  hostilities  in  a  general  sense  against 
.the  Saints  had  ceased  for  the  time  being,  and  there  was  some 
reason  for  hoping  that  they  would  be  allowed  to  remain  in 
Clay  and  surrounding  regions.  All  the  honest  and  fair- 
minded  settlers  in  that  land  were  forced  to  recognize  the  good 
qualities  of  the  exiles  from  Jackson.  The  Saints  were  indus- 
trious, charitable  and  thrifty.  Among  them  were  no  drunk- 
enness, brawls  nor  crimes  which  too  often  gave  a  bad  charac- 
ter to  other  border  communities. 

To  this  prospect  of  peace  the  Prophet's  personality  had 
greatly  contributed.  In  all  the  march  through  Missouri  his 
magnificent  qualities  had  impressed  themselves  upon  the  peo- 
ple whom  he  met.  His  course  had  been  that  of  a  worthy 
leader  among  men.  He  had  shown  in  all  his  intercourse  with 
the  inhabitants  of  Missouri  the  utmost  courage  and  generosity. 
It  was  his  nature  to  extend  consideration  and  kindness  toward 
others,  and  he  was  as  regardful  of  the  rights  of  his  fellow- 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  177 

men  at  this  time  as  always  before  and  always  after  during  his 
lifetime.  The  leading  men  of  Clay  County  who  were  brought 
into  contact  with  him  felt  that  he  possessed  remarkable  power. 
There  was  that  in  his  dignified  deportment  and  in  the  fearless 
glance  of  his  blue  eyes  which  warmed  the  souls  of  other  men 
to  his  own,  and  they  submitted  to  his  charm  of  manner,  even 
when  they  had  come  to  oppose  him.  And  when  at  last,  to 
allay  the  fears  of  his  avowed  enemies,  he  dispersed  his  party, 
while  surrounded  by  vindictive  mobs  who  sought  his  life  and 
the  lives  of  his  associates,  he  evinced  a  courage  and  a  wisdom 
as  grand  as  they  were  rare. 

Jackson  County  was  alive  with  men  who  had  sworn  to 
assassinate  him  if  he  ventured  within  their  reach.  What 
could  have  been  more  admirable  than  his  noble  disregard  of 
all  their  threats !  On  the  1st  of  July,  1834,  unattended,  except 
by  two  or  three  personal  friends,  he  crossed  the  Missouri 
River  from  Clay  into  Jackson  County,  visited  Independence 
and  saw  all  that  goodly  land  which  the  Lord  had  promised  as 
a  Zion,  but  which  now  .was  under  the  desecration  of  murder, 
rapine  and  a  veritable  reign  of  terror. 

He  stood  among  the  ruins  of  once  peaceful  homes  and 
gazed  upon  once  fruitful  fields  which  wicked  men  had  laid 
waste,  and  his  great  heart  swelled  nigh  to  bursting.  Did  any 
premonition  come  to  him  of  that  awful  hour  when  he  should 
next  look  upon  these  scenes;  when  in  chains  he  should  be 
carried  through  the  streets  of  Independence,  as  captive  kings 
of  old  were  dragged  at  their  victor's  chariot  wheels  to  make 
the  populace  shout  with  cruel  joy !  Well  might  Joseph, 
Prophet  of  God,  have  indescribable  emotions  as  he  gazed 
upon  this  spot,  hallowed  in  his  mind  by  so  many  tender 
recollections  and  so  many  promised  glories.  Mobs  had 
done  their  work,  Zion  was  desolate.  Joseph  himself  was 
free.  But  the  day  was  not  far  distant,  when  he  should,  as 
a  captive,  be  brought  to  Independence  and  his  enemies 
should  gloat  over  the  tortured  hero  and  his  pale  but  undaunted 
face. 

The  Prophet  had  gone  to  Independence  without  ostenta- 
tion, but  without  fear.  While  he  prayed  there,  the  eyes  of  the 

12 


178  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

wicked  were  blinded,  that  they  knew  him  not;  and  when  he 
returned  to  his  brethren  he  was  unscathed. 

On  the  3d  day  of  July,  the  Prophet  organized  a  high 
council  near  Liberty,  in  Clay  County,  and  for  several  days  he 
was  engaged  in  imparting  instruction  to  the  members  of  that 
body,  and  such  others  as  desired  to  listen  to  his  words  of 
wisdom. 

An  appeal  was  made  and  published  to  the  world  regarding 
the  grievances  of  the  Saints,  and  asking  for  the  restoration  of 
their  rights,  and  for  the  privilege  to  live  in  peace. 

On  the  9th  day  of  July,  Joseph,  in  company  with  his 
brother  Hyrum  and  Frederick  G.  Williams  and  others,  departed 
for  Kirtland.  Returning,  the  journey  was  as  toilsome  as  at 
first.  The  distance  to  be  traversed  was  one  thousand  miles, 
and  but  few  of  the  comforts  of  civilization  existed  for  them 
along  the  path.  Heat,  thirst,  hunger  and  pain  of  body  alike 
oppressed  them  and  were  alike  endured  with  patient  fortitude. 
About  the  1st  day  of  August  Joseph  reached  his  home. 

In  leaving  the  Saints  in  Missouri  the  Prophet  had  hoped 
that  for  a  time,  at  least,  they  would  be  blessed  with  protection 
from  their  enemies,  and  that  the  brethren  would  be  accorded 
the  opportunity  to  gain  a  maintenance  for  their  suffering  wives 
and  children.  Although  before  he  parted  with  them  many 
appeals  had  been  made  tor  a  restoration  to  their  possessions  in 
Jackson  County,  it  is  not  probable  that  he  entertained  any 
hope  that  Governor  Dunklin  would  accomplish  such  a  coura- 
geous act.  Joseph's  subsequent  zeal  in  building  up  Kirtland 
seems  to  indicate  that  he  had  prescience  of  the  continued  exile 
of  the  Church  from  the  land  of  Zion. 

Shortly  after  the  Prophet's  return  to  Kirtland,  he  sub- 
mitted before  the  high  council  some  charges  which  had  been 
made  against  himself  by  one  of  the  rebellious  spirits  in  Zion's 
Camp.  This  man,  Sylvester  Smith,  had  become  angered  on 
the  march  by  Joseph's  rebukes,  which  were  only  uttered  in 
kindness  and  to  secure  proper  discipline  and  mutual  concession 
and  forbearance  among  the  brethren;  and  in  his  rage  Sylves- 
ter had  declared  that  the  Prophet  was  corrupt  in  his  heart. 
The  complaint  made  by  Sylvester •  did  not  include  any  specific 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  179 

charge  of  impurity,  and  the  Prophet  might  have  passed  it  by 
without  notice.  But  he  wanted  to  teach  his  brethren  that  no 
man  was  above  the  law  of  God,  and  he  cheerfully  and  patiently 
submitted  to  an  investigation.  It  was  made  fairly  and  fully, 
with  no  undue  favor  to  him ;  and  the  result  was  a  complete 
vindication  of  the  Prophet's  character  and  eventually  a  confes- 
sion by  Sylvester  Smith  of  his  own  injustice,  wrong-doing  and 
evil  inspiration.  Thus,  by  his  own  example,  Joseph  showed 
to  his  brethren  the  saintly  course  for  the  settlement  of  diffi- 
culties. 

Joseph  gave  another  evidence  of  his  devotion  to  the  work 
and  his  personal  humility,  at  this  time.  Labor  upon  the 
house  of  the  Lord  in  Kirtland  was  in  progress,  but  the  poverty 
of  the  people  and  the  surrounding  difficulties  made  the  advance- 
ment very  slow.  Only  thirty  families  of  Saints  were  then 
resident  in  Kirtland,  and  the  toil  and  self-denial  of  the  little 
handful  cannot  be  described.  Joseph  gave  his  services  as  fore- 
man in  the  temple  stone  quarry,  and  labored  day  after  day 
with  his  own  hands  in  bringing  out  the  materials  for  that  import- 
ant structure.  At  the  same  time  Hyrum  was  showing  similar 
-evidence  of  his  industry  and  meekness.  It  was  he  who  lifted 
the  first  spadeful  of  earth  for  the  foundation  trench,  and  he 
continued  from  that  time  on  to  watch  and  work  and  pray  for 
the  success  of  this  sacred  undertaking. 

Having  placed  all  things  in  order  in  Kirtland  for  the  pro- 
gress of  the  Lord's  house,  Joseph  departed  on  the  16th  of 
October,  1834,  with  his  brother  Hyrum  and  others  to  visit  the 
Saints  in  the  state  of  Michigan.  They  went  by  water,  and  on 
board  the  steamer  they  met  a  man  who  called  himself  Elmer. 
Not  knowing  who  they  were,  in  the  course  of  conversation  he 
said:  "I  am  personally  acquainted  with  Joe1  Smith;  I  have 
heard  him  preach  his  lies,  and  now  since  he  is  dead  I  am  glad. 
I  heard  Joe  Smith  preach  in  Bainbridge,  Chenango  County, 
New  York,  five  years  ago,  and  knew  him  because  he  had  such 
a  dark  complexion."  Then  he  continued  his  exultations  at 
the  supposed  death  of  the  Prophet.  This  is  an  illustration  of 
the  malice  and  ignorance  which  prevailed  at  that  time.  Jos- 
eph was  not  dead ;  his  complexion  was  not  dark ;  he  had  never 


180  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

been  in  Bainbridge.  Elmer  bad  probably  beard  the  tirade  of 
some  sectarian  minister  against  Joseph  Smith  and  thought  he 
was  praising  God  when  he  lied  about  the  Prophet,  and  that 
he  was  doing  Christ's  service  by  exulting  in  his  supposed  death. 
After  preaching  to  the  Michigan  Saints  for  a  brief  time 
and  giving  and  receiving  comfort  in  their  society,  Joseph  and 
his  companions  returned  to  Kirtland,  reaching  there  about  the 
last  of  October.  During  the  month  of  November  with  so 
many  labors  upon  his  hands  Joseph  found  every  moment  of 
time  occupied.  He  was  able  to  accomplish  prodigious  labors, 
because  he  obeyed  the  rule  which  he  had  established  over  his 
life  and  which  he  tersely  states : 

"  WHEN  THE  LORD  COMMANDS,  DO  IT." 

His  scrupulous  regard  for  the  interests  of  others  is  shown 
by  a  circumstance  which  occurred  during  the  last  of  Novem- 
ber, 1834.  Some  brethren  and  sisters  representing  a  branch 
of  the  Church  in  the  east  called  at  Kirtland.  They  had  in 
their  possession  means  with  which  to  purchase  lands  in  Zion; 
but  in  view  of  the  action  of  mobs  and  the  inaction  of  officials, 
they  could  not  well  proceed  to  Missouri.  The  money  was 
offered  to  the  Church  in  Kirtland,  or  to  Joseph  as  its  president; 
but  as  this  was  not  the  purpose  for  which  the  means  had  been 
donated,  he  would  only  take  it  in  trust  to  be  paid  back  with 
interest  in  the  ensuing  spring;  and  he  gave  proper  security  for 
the  fulfillment  of  these  conditions.  The  means  thus  obtained 
was  not  devoted  to  his  personal  use,  but  was  entirely  employed 
in  the  furtherance  of  Church  works. 

It  was  with  the  close  of  1834  that  a  pledge  of  tithing 
was  first  given,  and  the  custom  now  in  force  was  begun,  the 
doctrine  having  been  foreshadowed  in  previous  revelations 
from  the  Almighty.  This  principle  of  tithing  as  now  prac- 
ticed very  properly  began  with  the  Prophet.  On  the  29th 
day  of  November,  1834,  Joseph  united  in  prayer  with  Oliver 
Cowdery  for  a  continuation  of  divine  blessings;  and  being 
filled  with  joy  on  this  occasion,  they  entered  into  a  covenant 
with  the  Lord  as  follows : 

"That  if  the  Lord  will  prosper  us  in  our  business,  and 
open  the  way  before  us,  that  we  may  obtain  means  to  pay  our 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  181 

debts,  that  we  be  not  troubled  nor  brought  into  disrepute 
before  the  world,  nor  His  people;  after  that,  of  all  that  He  shall 
give  us,  we  will  give  a  tenth,  to  be  bestowed  upon  the  poor  in 
His  Church,  or  as  He  shall  command;  and  that  we  will  be 
faithful  over  that  which  He  has  entrusted  to  our  care,  that  we 
may  obtain  much ;  and  that  our  children  after  us,  shall  re- 
member to  observe  this  sacred  and  holy  covenant;  and  that  our 
children  and  our  children's  children  may  know  of  the  same, 
we  have  subscribed  our  names  with  our  own  hands. 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH, 
"OLIVER  COWDERY. 

"And  now,  0  Father,  as  thou  didst  prosper  our  father 
Jacob,  and  bless  him  with  protection  and  prosperity  wherever 
he  went,  from  the  time  he  made  a  like  covenant  before  and 
with  thee;  as  thou  didst,  even  the  same  night,  open  the 
heavens  unto  him,  and  manifest  great  mercy  and  power,  and 
give  him  promises,  so  wilt  thou  do  with  us  his  sons;  and  as  his 
blessings  prevailed  above  his  progenitors  unto  the  utmost 
bounds  of  the  everlasting  hills,  even  so  may  our  blessings  pre- 
vail like  his;  and  may  thy  servants  be  preserved  from  the 
power  and  influence  of  wicked  and  unrighteous  men;  may 
every  weapon  formed  against  us  fall  upon  the  head  of  him 
who  shall  form  it ;  may  we  be  blessed  with  a  name  and  a  place 
among  the  Saints  here,  an<J  thy  sanctified  when  they  shall 
rest.  Amen." 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

THE    CALLING    OF    CHRIST'S    APOSTLES    IN    THE    LAST    DISPENSATION 

OF   THE    FULLNESS  OF   TIMES DUTIES     AND    POWERS     OF    THE 

TWELVE THEIR     LABORS      IN     THE      WORLD ORGANIZATION 

OF    THE    SEVENTIES. 

"AND  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a 
witness  unto  all  nations;  and  then  shall  the  end  come." 

St.  Matthew. 

"But  before  all  these,  they  shall  lay  their  hands  on  you,  and  persecute 
you,  delivering  you  up  to  the  synagogues,  and  into  prisons,  being  brought 
before  kings  and  rulers  for  my  name's  sake. 

"  And  it  shall  turn  to  you  for  a  testimony. 
****#**#.fc 

"And  ye  shall  be  betrayed  both  by  parents,  and  brethren,  and  kins- 
folks, and  friends  ;  and  some  of  you  shall  they  cause  to  be  put  to  death, 
"  And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  my  name's  sake. 
»*******« 

' '  And  when  these  things  begin  to  come  to  pass,  then  look  up,  and  lift 
up  your  heads ;  for  your  redemption  draweth  nigh. ' ' 

St.  Luke. 

Our  Lord  and  Master  had  His  twelve  special  witnesses  to 
the  world  when  His  gospel  was  offered  to  all  mankind  eighteen 
centuries  ago.  And  so,  in  the  re-establishment  of  the  Church 
in  this  dispensation,  Twelve  Apostles  were  called  and  ordained 
to  be  witnesses  of  Christ,  crucified  and  risen,  and  of  Christ's 
gospel  brought  forth  through  the  darkness  of  ages  and  now 
restored  to  stand  forever. 

The  power,  authority  and  scope  of  this  Apostleship  are 
shown  in  the  revelation  given  to  the  Prophet  at  Kirtland  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year  1835: 

"The  Twelve  traveling  counselors  are  called  to  be  the  Twelve  Apostles  or 
special  witnesses  of  the  name  of  Christ  in  all  the  world  ; 

*********** 

"  And  they  form  a  quorum,  equal  in  authority  and  power  to  the  three 
Presidents  [the  first  presidency]. 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  183 

u  The  Twelve  are  a  traveling  presiding  High  Council  to  officiate  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  under  the  direction  of  the  Presidency  of  the  church, 
agreeable  to  the  institution  of  heaven ;  to  build  up  the  church,  and  regulate 
all  the  affairs  of  the  same  in  all  nations  ; 


"  The  Twelve  being  sent  out,  holding  the  keys,  to  open  the  door  by  the 
proclamation  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  —  and  first  unto  the  Gentiles 
and  then  unto  the  Jews. 


"It  is  the  duty  of  the  Twelve,  also,  to  ordain  and  set  in  order  all  the 
other  officers  of  the  church,  agreeable  to  the  revelation." 

On  the  Sabbath  day,  February  8th,  1835,  Joseph  invited 
Brigham  and  Joseph  Young  to  his  home  and  listened  to  some 
of  their  sweetest  hymns.  They  were  always  noted  for  the 
excellence  of  their  singing;  but  on  this  occasion  with  such 
wondrous  power  did  their  voices  swell  that  the  Prophet  was 
lifted  up  in  his  soul  and  felt  the  Holy  Spirit  descending  upon 
them.  Joseph  had  seen  in  vision  the  brethren  who  had  died 
of  cholera  in  Missouri;  and  he  related  the  vision  to  his  visi- 
tors, saying:  "If  I  get  a  mansion  as  bright  as  theirs,  I  shall 
ask  no  more."  He  wept  at  the  recital  and  could  not  speak 
again  for  some  moments.  When  his  composure  returned,  he 
told  Brigham  that  he  should  be  one  of  the  twelve  special  wit- 
nesses, and  said  to  Joseph  Young:  "  The  Lord  has  made  you 
President  of  the  Seventies,"  Neither  of  the  Brothers  Young 
fully  understood  the  Prophet's  meaning  at  that  time,  but  later 
they  learned. 

On  the  14th  day  of  February,  1835,  the  Prophet  called 
an  assemblage  at  Kirtland  of  all  the  men  who  had  formed  the 
Camp  of  Zion.  He  said  to  call  this  meeting  he  had  been 
directed  by  the  Almighty.  The  Elders  who  had  passed  through 
the  trials  and  sufferings  of  the  journey  to  Zion  were  to  be 
ordained  to  the  ministry  to  go  forth  and  prune  the  vineyard 
for  the  last  time  before  the  coming  of  the  Lord.  Twelve  men 
were  to  be  chosen  as  Apostles  to  bear  testimony  of  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  to  send  it  abroad  among  all  nations, 
kindreds,  tongues  and  people. 

Under  the  hands  of  the  Prophet  the  three  witnesses  ot 


184  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

the  Book  of  Mormon,  Oliver  Cowdery,  David  Whitmer  and 
Martin  Harris,  were  blessed  by  the  direction  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  choose  the  Twelve  Apostles  of  the  Church.  The 
men  thus  selected  were  all  equal  in  authority;  but  in  a  later 
time  the  Prophet  designated  the  order  in  which  they  should 
sit  in  council — that  is,  according  to  age,  the  eldest  first.  And 
under  this  rule  the  first  quorum  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  in  these  last  days  were:  Thomas 
B.  Marsh,  David  "W.  Patten,  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball,  Orson  Hyde,  William  E.  McLellin,  Parley  P.  Pratt, 
Luke  Johnson,  William  Smith,  Orson  Pratt,  John  F.  Boyn- 
ton,  and  Lyman  E.  Johnson. 

The  Apostles  had  their  mission  of  salvation  divinely 
dictated  unto  them.  How  they  have  fulfilled  its  requirements, 
let  answer  the  thousands  from  every  continent  and  every  isle 
of  the  sea  who  have  heard  the  message  in  their  native 
tongues ! 

It  was  the  work  which  was  great  and  which  conferred  great- 
ness upon  those  who  engaged  in  it.  The  world  has  never  un- 
derstood this.  To  man  has  been  attributed  the  success  which 
has  attended  the  system  of  religion  which  Joseph  Smith  was 
the  chosen  earthly  instrument  to  found.  Joseph,  himself,  had 
a  wonderful  personality ;  and  it  was  the  custom  to  give  him 
credit  for  the  early  growth  of  the  church  numerically,  and 
to  ascribe  its  spread  and  the  devotion  of  its  adherents  to  his 
individual  power  of  attraction.  But  he  did  not  so  esteem  him- 
self; and  the  work  which  the  Apostles  have  performed  is  proof 
that  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit  which  animates  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
which  convinces. 

To  the  Twelve  it  was  not  only  a  call  to  the  ministry;  for 
some  of  them  it  was  a  call  to  martyrdom. 

Of  the  disciples  chosen  then  and  of  those  since  selected 
to  keep  the  quorum  complete,  not  one  has  escaped  the  afflic- 
tions of  time. 

With  some  the  pains  were  too  intense  to  be  endured,  the 
burdens  too  heavy  to  be  borne;  and  they  dropped  aside  from 
the  on-marching  ranks  to  find,  as  they  hoped,  repose  and 
safety  amidst  the  cooling  shadows  of  that  world  from  which 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  185 

they  had  been  chosen  to  be  special  witnesses  of  the  Son  of 
God.  Such  are  no  longer  His  Apostles. 

But  the  others,  with  unshaken  resoluteness,  have  gone 
forward  in  fulfillment  of  their  high  mission  under  the  scorch- 
ing heat  of  fiery  persecution.  Joseph  is  their  captain  and 
their  fellow-soldier  in  the  cause  of  Christ.  With  him  and 
after  him  many  of  them  have,  with  continuous  and  unyielding 
zeal,  toiled  steadily  on  until  worn  out  in  the  performance  of 
the  duty  assigned  them  by  their  master  Jesus;  they  have 
passed  to  the  enjoyment  of  His  promised  rest.  With  him  they 
and  the  other  faithful  Apostles  will  stand  triumphant  when 
human  time  shall  be  no  more,  and  when  the  voice  of  the 
Eternal  shall  fill  the  universe  with  the  thunder  of  His  judg- 
ments. They  shall  not  then  be  only  twelve ;  for  they  who 
have  been  called  of  God  to  this  holy  calling  and  who  endure 
faithful,  though  they  may  lay  down  their  mortality,  yet  shall 
they  not  lose  their  Apostleship;  for  it  abideth  with  them  in 
this  world  and  in  the  worlds  to  come. 

To  proclaim  the  truth  in  all  the  earth  for  a  witness 
requires  not  only  willingness  but  also  numerical  strength. 
And  so  the  Seventies  were  called  by  divine  revelation.  They 
are  to  preach  the  gospel  and  to  be  special  witnesses  unto  the 
Gentiles,  and  in  all  the  world;  they  are  to  act  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  under  the  direction  of  the  Twelve,  in  building  up 
the  Church  and  regulating  all  the  affairs  of  the  same  in  all 
nations — first  unto  the  Gentiles  and  then  unto  the  Jews. 

*'  And  they  form  a  quorum  equal  in  authority  to  that  of  the  Twelve  *  * 
Apostles. ' ' 

On  the  28th  day  of  February,  1835,  the  Church  in  coun- 
cil assembled  began  the  calling  of  the  quorum  of  Seventies 
from  the  members  of  Zion's  Camp,  and  this  devoted  organi- 
zation of  the  Seventies  speedily  engaged  in  its  appointed 
labors. 

Thus  was  the  Prophet  blessed  with  efficient  aids  selected 
by  the  Spirit  of  God. 

One  day  when  Joseph  had  assembled  the  Elders  in  Kirt- 
land,  soon  after  the  establishment  of  the  quorums  of  Twelve 
and  Seventy,  he  said  to  them  that  the  test  had  been  made, 


186  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

the  purpose  of  the  journey  to  Missouri  was  now  clear,  and 
God  had  chosen  His  Twelve  and  Seventy  from  a  body  of 
men  who  had  offered  their  lives,  and  who  had  made  as 
great  a  sacrifice  as  did  Abraham. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

JOSEPH    AS    A    RESTORER    AS    WELL    AS    A    PROPHET THE    BOOK    OF 

ABRAHAM JOSEPH'S  GROWTH  INTO  SCHOLARSHIP  AND  STATES- 
MANSHIP  DIFFICULTIES    WITH    WILLIAM    SMITH. 

JOSEPH  SMITH  was  not  only  a  Prophet  but  a  reformer — as  able 
as  Luther,  as  bold  as  Zwingli.  And  he  was  more  than  a 
reformer.  He  was  a  restorer — the  greatest  in  his  personality 
and  in  the  character  of  his  work  since  the  day  of  the  divine 
atonement. 

Through  him  even  the  buried  past  reaches  up  to  the  lis- 
tening present,  and  the  distant  future  bends  down  to  this  gaz- 
ing age.  His  work  in  revealing  hidden  truths  spans  the  circle 
of  all  earthly  time — stretching  from  the  decree  by  which  the 
world  was  rolled  into  space  unto  the  moment  when  it  shall 
become  a  purified  and  exalted  sphere.  This  comprehension 
was  the  divine  gift  to  the  predestined  martyr. 

Through  him  had  been  revealed  the  hidden  truths  con- 
cerning prehistoric  America.  From  the  hour  when  Joseph 
gave  to  the  world  the  Book  of  Mormon,  all  ignorance  con- 
cerning the  ancient  inhabitants  of  this  land  became  willful. 
Then  his  labor  of  restoration  reached  another  hemisphere  and 
a  remoter  time. 

Abraham,  the  friend  of  God,  Abraham  who  died  thirty- 
six  centuries  asv),  Abraham  who  was  buried  in  the  cave  of 

O      ' 

Macpelah,  spoke  through  the  modern  Prophet,  his  descendant; 
and  the  manner  of  that  communication  so  manifestly  shows 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  187 

the  overruling  hand  of  Providence  that  no  one  can  doubt  the 
divine  direction. 

While  Joseph  had  been  laboring  in  Kirtland,  journeying 
to  and  from  Missouri,  teaching  his  brethren  and  being  taught 
of  God,  there  were  moving  to  him  from  one  of  the  catacombs 
of  Egypt  the  writings  of  Father  Abraham  and  of  Joseph  who 
was  governor  in  Egypt. 

On  the  7th  day  of  June,  1831,  a  French  traveler  and  ex- 
plorer penetrated  the  depths  of  a  catacomb  near  the  site  ot 
ancient  Thebes.  It  had  cost  him  time  and  treasure  and  in- 
fluence to  make  the  entrance.  After  securing  the  license  to 
make  his  researches,  he  employed  more  than  four  hundred 
men  for  a  period  of  some  months  to  make  the  necessary  ex- 
cavation. When  lie  was  able  at  last  to  stand  within  this 
multiplied  tomb  he  found  several  hundred  mummies;  but  only 
eleven  of  them  were  in  such  a  state  that  they  could  be  re- 
moved. He  carried  them  away,  but  died  on  his  voyage  to 
Paris.  By  his  will  the  mummies  were  bequeathed  to  Michael 
H.  Chandler,  his  nephew,  and  in  search  of  this  gentleman 
they  were  sent  through  Ireland  and  finally  across  the  sea. 
After  two  years  of  wanderings  they  found  their  owner.  Hop- 
ing to  discover  some  treasure  of  precious  stones  or  metals, 
Mr.  Chandler  opened  the  coffins  or  embalming  cases. 
Attached  to  two  of  the  bodies  were  rolls  of  linen  preserved  with 
the  same  care  and  apparently  by  the  same  method  as  the 
bodies.  Within  the  linen  coverings  were  rolls  of  papyrus 
bearing  a  perfectly  preserved  record  in  black  and  red  char- 
acters carefully  formed.  With  other  of  the  bodies  were 
papyrus  strips  bearing  epitaphs  and  astronomical  calculations. 
The  learned  men  of  Philadelphia  and  other  places  flocked  to 
see  these  representatives  of  an  ancient  time,  and  Mr.  Chandler 
solicited  their  translation  of  some  of  the  characters.  Even 
the  wisest  among  them  were  only  able  to  interpret  the  meaning 
of  a  few  of  the  signs.  From  the  very  moment  when  he  dis- 
covered the  rolls,  Mr.  Chandler  had  heard  that  a  Prophet  lived 
in  the  west  who  could  decipher  strange  languages  and  reveal 
things  hidden;  and  after  failing  with  all  the  learned,  and  hav- 
ing parted  with  seven  of  the  mummies  and  some  few  strips  of 


188  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

papyrus,  bearing  astronomical  figures,  he  finally  reached  Kirt- 
land  and  presented  himself  to  Joseph,  with  the  four  remaining 
bodies  and  with  the  rolls  of  manuscript.  The  Prophet,  under 
inspiration  of  the  Almighty,  interpreted  some  of  the  ancient 
writings  to  Mr.  Chandler's  satisfaction.  So  far  as  the  learned 
men  of  Philadelphia  had  been  able  to  translate,  Joseph's  work 
coincided  with  theirs;  but  he  went  much  further,  and  in  his 
delight  Mr.  Chandler  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Prophet  certifying 
to  this  effect. 

Later  some  of  the  friends  of  the  Prophet  purchased  the 
four  mummies,  with  the  writings.  Joseph  engaged  assidu- 
ously to  interpret  from  the  rolls  and  strips  of  papyrus.  The 
result  of  his  labor  was  to  give  to  the  world  a  translation  of  the 
Book  of  Abraham.  This  book  was  written  by  the  hand  of 
Abraham  while  he  wTas  in  Egypt,  and  was  preserved  by  the 
marvelous  dispensation  of  Providence,  through  all  the  muta- 
tions of  time  and  the  dangers  of  distance,  to  reach  the  hand 
of  God's  Prophet  in  this  last  dispensation.  By  this  record  the 
Father  of  the  Faithful  makes  known  what  the  Lord  Almighty 
had  shown  to  him  concerning  the  things  that  were  before  the 
world  was;  and  he  declares  that  he  did  penetrate  the  myster- 
ies of  the  heavens  even  unto  Kolob,  the  star  which  is  nearest 
the  throne  of  God  the  Eternal  One. 

In  the  record  of  Joseph  who  was  sold  into  Egypt  is  given 
a  prophetic  representation  of  the  judgment:  the  Savior  is 
shown  sedated  upon  His  throne,  crowned  and  holding  the  scep- 
tres of  righteousness  and  power;  before  Him  are  assembled  the 
Twelve  Tribes  of  Israel  and  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world ; 
while  Michael  the  Archangel  holds  the  key  to  the  bottomless 
pit  in  which  Satan  has  been  chained. 

At  the  time  when  Joseph,  aided  by  the  inspiration  of  the 
Almighty,  was  enabled  to  make  these  translations,  he  was 
studying  ancient  languages  and  the  grandest  sciences,  while  he 
was  also  imparting  instruction  in  the  school  of  the  brethren 
at  Kirtland,  that  others  than  himself  might  have  their  minds 
fitted  to  grasp  the  sublimities  of  truth  in  theology  and  history 
and  the  laws  governing  the  universe.  Joseph  was  now  in  his 
thirtieth  year  and  was  no  longer  an  unlearned  farmer  lad. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  189 

He  was  the  leader  of  the  people  by  the  command  of  Heaven, 
and  he  was  the  leader  of  the  people  by  his  growing  intellectual 
greatness.  The  Prophet  had  already  become  a  scholar.  He 
loved  learning.  He  loved  knowledge  for  its  righteous  power. 
Through  the  tribulations  which  had  surrounded  him  from  the 
day  when  first  he  made  known  to  a  skeptical  world  his  com- 
munion with  the  heavens,  he  had  been  ever  advancing  in  the 
acquisition  of  intelligence.  The  Lord  had  commanded  him  to 
studjr,  and  he  was  obeying.  Such  branches  of  learning  as  he 
knew  not,  teachers  were  employed  to  communicate.  His 
mind,  quickened  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  grasped  with  readiness 
all  true  principles,  and  one  by  one  he  mastered  these  branches 
and  became  in  them  a  teacher. 

Joseph  Smith  was  the  head  of  a  committee  which  had 
been  appointed  in  September,  1834,  to  compile  the  doctrines 
of  the  church  for  publication.  And  in  Kirtland,  at  a  general 
assembly  held  on  the  17th  day  of  August,  1835,  that  com- 
mittee reported  by  presenting  the  book  of  Doctrine  and 
Covenants  to  the  Church  for  the  approval  of  the  congre- 
gation. Solemn  testimonies  were  given  of  the  truth  of  the 
work  and  of  the  inspiration  by  which  Joseph  Smith  had 
uttered  the  revelations  from  on  high.  The  testimony  of  the 
Twelve  on  this  subject  closed  as  follows: 

"  The  Lord  has  borne  record  to  our  souls,  through  the 
Holy  Ghost  shed  forth  upon  us,  that  these  commandments 
were  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  are  profitable  for  all 
men,  and  are  verily  true.  We  give  this  testimony  unto  the 
world,  the  Lord  being  our  helper :  and  it  is  through  the  grace 
of  God,  the  Father,  and  His  Son  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  are  per- 
mitted to  have  this  privilege  of  bearing  this  testimony  unto 
the  world,  in  the  which  we  rejoice  exceedingly,  praying 
the  Lord  always,  that  the  children  of  men  may  be  profited 
thereby." 

At  the  same  time  there  was  presented  and  accepted  the 
tenet  of  the  Church  concerning  government  and  laws  in  which 
the  following  passages  occur,  showing  that  thus  early  in  his 
career  the  Prophet's  mind  was  trained  in  true  statesmanship 
and  social  philosophy : 


190  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

"  We  believe  that  governments  are  instituted  of  God  for 
the  benefit  of  man,  and  that  He  holds  men  accountable  for  their 
acts  in  relation  to  them,  either  in  making  laws  or  administer- 
ing them,  for  the  good  and  safety  of  society. 

"We  believe  that  no  government  can  exist  in  peace, 
except  such  laws  are  framed  and  held  inviolate  as  will  secure 
to  each  individual  the  free  exercise  of  conscience,  the  right 
and  control  of  property,  and  the  protection  of  life. 

***** 

"  We  believe  that  religion  is  instituted  of  God,  and  that 
men  are  answerable  to  Him,  and  Him  only,  for  the  exercise  of 
it,  unless  their  religious  opinions  prompt  them  to  infringe 
upon  the  rights  and  liberties  of  others;  but  we  do  not  believe 
that  human  law  has  a  right  to  interfere  in  prescribing  rules  of 
worship  to  bind  the  consciences  of  men,  nor  dictate  forms  for 
public  or  private  devotion  ;  that  the  civil  magistrate  should 
restrain  crime,  but  never  control  conscience;  should  punish 
guilt,  but  never  suppress  the  freedom  of  the  soul. 

***** 

"  We  believe  that  rulers,  states,  and  governments  have  a 
right,  and  are  bound  to  enact  laws  for  the  protection  of  all 
citizens  in  the  free  exercise  of  their  religious  belief;  but  we 
do  not  believe  that  they  have  a  right  in  justice,  to  deprive 
citizens  of  this  privilege,  or  proscribe  them  in  their  opinions, 
so  long  as  a  regard  and  reverence  is  shown  to  the  laws,  and 
such  religious  opinions  do  not  justify  sedition  nor  conspiracy. 
***** 

"We  do  not  believe  it  is  just  to  mingle  religious  influence 
with  civil  government,  whereby  one  religious  society  is 
fostered,  and  another  proscribed  in  its  spiritual  privileges,  and 
the  individual  rights  of  its  members  as  citizens  denied." 

The  Prophet  was  not  present  at  the  assembly,  as  he  was 
visiting  Saints  in  Michigan;  but  his  hand  was  manifest  in  its 
proceedings,  for  he  had  all  the  time  led  in  preparing  the  book 
for  presentation  to  the  Church. 

With  his  staunch  advocacy  ol  truth,  and  his  unyielding 
adherence  to  the  commandments  of  God,  Joseph  was  ever 
merciful  to  the  weak  and  the  erring.  During  the  summer  of 
1835,  he  was  laboring  in  councils  and  meetings  in  Kirtland 
and  vicinity,  and  was  chosen  to  take  part  in  the  proceedings 
against  several  members  who  were  to  be  tried  for  utterances 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  191 

made  against  the  Presidency  of  the  Church.  Whether  it  fell 
to  his  lot  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  accused  or  to  prosecute, 
though  he  himself  might  have  been  the  one  who  was  wronged, 
he  acted  with  so  much  tenderness  and  justice  that  he  won  the 
love  of  all. 

At  this  time  he  labored  under  serious  financial  distress. 
The  performance  of  the  work  laid  upon  him  demanded  many 
expenditures,  and  often  it  seemed  that  he  would  be  involved 
in  inextricable  embarrassment.  But  the  way  was  constantly 
opened  to  him.  His  brethren  were  kind  and  charitable,  many 
of  them  presenting  him  or  loaning  him  sums  sufficient  for 
the  performance  of  his  labors  and  to  meet  all  his  engage- 
ments ;  and  all  of  these  he  blessed  with  the  gratitude  of  his 
soul,  and  was  especially  scrupulous  to  pay  at  the  time  agreed 
upon. 

Joseph  was  a  dutiful  son ;  his  strong  affection  for  his 
parents  was  ever  a  marked  feature  in  his  character.  In  the 
early  part  of  October,  1835,  his  father  was  ill ;  and,  though 
the  Prophet  was  performing  wearisome  toil  in  traveling, 
preaching  and  other  duties — exposed  to  chilling  storms — he 
watched  and  waited  on  his  parent  with  the  utmost  humility 
and  tenderness.  On  the  10th  day  of  October,  the  elder 
Joseph  was  failing  very  fast,  so  much  that  his  life  was 
despaired  of.  The  Prophet  prayed  in  secret  most  earnestly 
that  his  father's  life  might  be  spared,  and  on  the  morning  of 
Sunday,  the  llth  of  October,  while  he  was  still  upon  his  knees, 
the  Lord  said  to  him : 

"  MY  SERVANT,  THY  FATHER  SHALL  LIVE." 

That  night  Father  Smith  arose  and  dressed  himself  and 
shouted  and  praised  the  Lord  for  his  recovery. 

One  of  the  most  sorrowful  passages  in  the  Prophet's  life 
opens  with  the  29th  day  of  October,  1835.  Joseph's  brother 
William  was  a  man  of  violent  temper  which  he  had  not  then 
nor  ever  afterwards  subdued.  Though  not  destitute  of 
qualities,  which,  if  properly  used,  would  have  made  him  a 
useful  and  noble  man,  he  was  willful  and  headstrong,  and  so 
impatient  of  contradiction  and  rebuke  that  he  often  forgot  his 
own  high  station  as  an  Apostle  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 


192  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

forgot  the  kindness  of  his  brother  Joseph  and  the  defer- 
ence due  him  as  a  prophet  of  God.  On  the  day  mentioned, 
at  a  high  council  meeting,  William  abused  Joseph  in  violent 
terms  because  of  a  just  ruling  made  by  the  Prophet.  The 
noble  and  faithful  Hyrum,  their  elder  brother,  admonished 
William,  but  without  avail.  He  left  the  building  and  soon 
after  engaged  in  circulating  evil  reports  against  the  Prophet. 
Every  effort  was  made  by  his  friends  to  correct  the  wrong  and 
to  bring  him  to  a  sense  of  his  position.  He  made  an  outward 
show  of  humility;  but  took  an  early  occasion  when  the 
Prophet  was  a  guest  at  his  house  to  assault  him  with  such 
violence  that  the  effects  were  carried  by  Joseph  to  his  grave. 

Satan  was  indeed  trying  the  Lord's  chosen  one.  At 
home  or  abroad  he  was  fated  to  have  afflictions  showered  upon 
his  devoted  head.  But  of  all  the  woes  of  his  persecuted  life, 
not  one  could  have  been  more  saddening  to  him  than  these 
attacks  by  his  own  brother  in  the  flesh. 

The  Prophet  harbored  no  malice ;  but  with  the  humility 
and  the  godliness  which  permeated  all  his  intercourse  with  his 
fellow-men  he  freely  forgave  William.  Such  effect  did  the 
Prophet's  kindness  have  upon  William  that  he  repented  and 
expressed  his  contrition  with  great  sincerity  and  earnestness. 
A  reconciliation  took  place  at  which  Father  Smith  and  his 
brother  John,  with  Hyrum,  Joseph  and  William  were  present. 
The  elder  Joseph  addressed  them  all  in  a  pathetic  manner,  so 
much  so  that  they  wept.  They  all  covenanted  at  that  time  to 
endeavor  to  build  each  other  up  in  righteousness.  Happy 
would  it  have  been  for  William  if  he  had  then  taken  the 
advice  of  the  Prophet  and  his  father;  but  he  violated  his  word, 
despised  their  counsel,  and  fell  from  his  high  estate. 

Not  only  did  Joseph  show  tenderness  in  his  dealings  with 
his  brother,  but  also  with  others  of  the  Twelve.  When 
Thomas  B.  Marsh,  the  president  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  com- 
plained that  the  Prophet  in  chastening  them  for  the  wrong- 
doing of  some  of  their  number  had  used  harsh  language;  the 
Prophet  readily  begged  their  forgiveness  if  he  had  pained 
their  feelings.  And  by  his  noble  conduct  he  brought  about  a 
restoration  of  harmony  and  fellowship.  If  his  brethren  of 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  l!»:5 

tin-  Twelve  li;id  nil  lit'i'ii  as  mindful  of  the  rule  of  righteous- 
ness as  Joseph  himself,  the  dissensions  in  that  quorum  which 
cost  some  of  its  brightest  memhers  their  standing  would  not 
have  occurred. 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

COMPLETION    AND     DEDICATION    OF     THE     KIRTLAND    TEMPLE SUB- 
LIME   VISIONS    TO     THE    SAINTS THE    WORDS    OF     THE    DIVINE 

REDEEMER — JOSEPH'S    GRANDMOTHER    VISITS    HIM,  THEN  DIES 
IN    PEACE — HIS    MISSION    TO    THE    EAST. 

THE  building  of  the  Kirtland  temple  was  accomplished  by  the 
utmost  self-sacrifice.  Nearly  three  years  had  been  occupied 
in  its  construction;  and  during  this  time  the  Saints  had  given 
of  their  substance  and  had  toiled  without  ceasing  to  make  a 
habitation  fit  for  the  ministration  of  angelic  visitants  and  of 
the  Holy  One,  Himself.  The  consummation  of  this  work  had 
been  very  near  to  the  Prophet's  heart,  especially  since  the 
tribulations  in  Missouri  had  shown  that  no  house  of  the  Lord 
could  be  erected  speedily  in  the  center  stake  of  Zion. 

Wondrous  were  the  visions  bestowed  in  that  sacred  edi- 
fice. Previous  to  its  completion  the  glories  of  the  heavens 
had  been  unfolded  to  the  Prophet  and  his  brethren  while 
administering  in  the  ordinances  there.  On  the  21st  of  Janu- 
ary, 1836,  Joseph  met  with  Sidney  Eigdon  and  Frederick  G. 
Williams,  and  his  father,  Patriarch  Joseph  Smith,  Sen.,  at  one 
of  the  finished  school-rooms  in  the  building  to  anoint  their 
heads  with  holy  oil.  They  united  in  anointing  and  blessing 
the  Prophet's  father  as  the  Patriarch  and  to  anoint  their  heads; 
and  each  of  the  First  Presidency  was  then  anointed  and 
blessed  under  the  hands  of  Father  Smith.  While  they  were 


13 


194  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

engaged  in  this  labor  marvelous  visions  and  revelations  were 
bestowed. 

The  Prophet  says : 

"The  heavens  were  opened  upon  us,  and  I  beheld  the 
celestial  kingdom  of  God,  and  the  glory  thereof,  whether  in 
the  body  or  out  I  cannot  tell.  I  saw  the  transcendent  beauty 
of  the  gate  through  which  the  heirs  of  that  kingdom  will 
enter,  which  was  like  unto  circling  flames  of  fire;  also  the 
blazing  throne  of  God,  whereon  was  seated  the  Father  and 
the  Son.  I  saw  the  beautiful  streets  of  that  kingdom,  which 
had  the  appearance  of  being  paved  with  gold.  I  saw  fathers 
Adam  and  Abraham,  and  my  father  and  mother,  my  brother 
Alvin,  who  has  long  since  slept,  and  wondered  how  it  was 
that  he  had  obtained  an  inheritance  in  that  kingdom,  seeing 
that  he  had  departed  this  life  before  the  Lord  had  set  his  hand 
to  gather  Israel  the  second  time,  and  had  not  been  baptized 
for  the  remission  of  sins. 

"Thus  came  the  voice  of  the  Lord  unto  me,  saying: 

"All  who  have  died  without  a  knowledge  of  this  gospel,  who  would 
have  received  it  if  they  had  been  permitted  to  tarry,  shall  be  heirs  of  the 
celestial  kingdom  of  our  God  ;  also  all  that  shall  die  henceforth  without  a 
knowledge  of  it,  who  would  have  received  it  with  all  their  hearts,  shall  be 
heirs  of  that  kingdom,  for  I,  the  Lord,  will  judge  all  men  according  to  their 
works,  according  to  the  desires  of  their  hearts." 

Many  other  things  did  the  Prophet  see  and  hear.  He 
beheld  that  all  children  who  died  before  reaching  years  of 
accountability  are  saved  in  the  celestial  kingdom  of  our  God. 
A  holy  comfort  this,  which  takes  the  place  of  all  tho  black 
threats  concerning  infantile  damnation.  He  saw  the  Twelve 
Apostles  of  the  Lamb  in  foreign  lands,  standing  in  a  circle, 
with  their  clothes  tattered  and  their  feet  swollen,  with  their 
eyes  cast  downward,  and  Jesus  was  standing  in  their  midst, 
but  they  did  not  behold  Him,  and  the  Savior  looked  upon 
them  and  wept.  Those  of  the  brethren  who  received  the  ordi- 
nances at  this  time  saw  most  glorious  visions.  Some  of  them 
beheld  the  face  of  their  Redeemer ;  others  were  ministered 
unto  by  holy  angels ;  the  spirit  of  prophecy  and  revelation 
was  poured  out  in  mighty  power  ;  and  loud  hosannas  saluted 
the  heavens  from  those  who  were  communing  with  the  sancti- 
fied hosts  of  the  celestial  kingdom. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  195 

On  other  occasions,  before  the  entire  structure  was  com- 
pleted and  dedicated,  similar  visitations  came  to  manifest  the 
power  of  God  and  His  gracious  acceptance  of  this  devoted 
labor. 

On  the  morning  of  Sunday,  March  27th,  1836,  the  first 
temple  ever  built  in  this  dispensation  by  the  command  of  God, 
was  dedicated  to  His  service.  A  large  assemblage  of  the 
Saints  had  congregated  in  the  building.  Joseph  presided,  and 
he  was  supported  by  the  Priesthood.  The  Prophet  himself 
made  the  dedicatory  prayer,  which  he  closed  in  the  following 
words : 

"  Hear  us,  0  Lord,  and  answer  these  petitions,  and  accept 
the  dedication  of  this  house  unto  Thee,  the  work  of  our 
hands,  which  we  have  built  unto  Thy  name ! 

"And  also  this  Church,  to  put  upon  it  Thy  name;  arid 
help  us  by  the  power  ot  Thy  Spirit,  that  we  may  mingle  our 
voices  with  those  bright  shining  seraphs  around  Thy  throne, 
with  acclamations  of  praise,  singing,  Hosanna  to  God  and  the 
Lamb; 

"And  let  these  Thine  anointed  ones  be  clothed  with  sal- 
vation, and  Thy  Saints  shout  aloud  for  joy.  Amen,  and 
Amen." 

Joseph  was  acknowledged  by  the  several  quorums,  stand- 
ing upon  their  feet,  as  the  Prophet  and  Seer  of  the  Church,  and 
they  gave  a  solemn  pledge  to  uphold  him  as  such  by  their 
faith  and  prayers.  This  action  was  also  ratified  by  the  entire 
congregation  of  the  Saints  in  the  same  manner.  The  Prophet 
then  called  upon  the  quorums  and  the  congregation  to 
acknowledge  the  other  members  of  the  First  Presidency  and 
the  several  quorums  in  their  offices  and  callings,  and  the  vote 
was  unanimous  in  every  instance. 

After  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  supper  and  the 
expression  of  many  solemn  testimonies,  the  dedication  was 
sealed  by  shouting  Hosanna,  Hosanna,  Hosanna  to  God  and 
the  Lamb,  three  times  sealing  it,  each  time  with  Amen,  Amen, 
and  Amen. 

Brigham  Young  had  the  gift  of  tongues  powerfully  upon 
him  and  made  an  address  which  David  W.  Patten  interpreted. 
Then  the  Prophet  made  a  short  exhortation  also  in  tongues, 


l!»r>  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

and  afterward  blessed  the  congregation  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  assembly  dispersed. 

That  same  evening  the  Prophet  met  the  quorums  in  the 
temple.  Brother  George  A.  Smith  stood  up  and  began  to 
prophesy,  when  a  noise  was  heard  like  the  sound  of  a  mighty 
rushing  wind  which  filled  the  building.  All  the  congregation 
arose  in  an  instant,  being  moved  upon  by  an  invisible  power. 
Many  began  to  speak  in  tongues  and  prophesy,  others  saw 
glorious  visions.  The  temple  was  filled  with  angels.  People 
from  the  neighborhood  came  running  toward  the  temple,  hav- 
ing heard  an  unusual  sound  and  seen  a  brilliant  light  like  a 
pillar  of  fire  rising  above  the  structure.  These  spectators 
were  amazed  at  what  they  saw  and  heard. 

On  the  29th  of  March  the  Prophet  met  with  many  of  the 
brethren  in  the  most  holy  place  in  the  Lord's  house  and  fasted 
and  prayed  and  performed  sacred  ordinances.  In  obedience 
to  the  commandment,  they  remained  together  throughout  that 
whole  day  and  the  succeeding  night.  While  they  were  there 
the  Holy  Spirit  rested  upon  them;  and  they  continued,  until 
the  morning  light  broke,  to  prophesy  and  give  glory  to  God. 
The  same  services  were  repeated  the  day  following. 

Joseph  said  to  the  quorums  that  he  had  now  completed 
the  organization  of  the  Church  having  passed  through  all  the 
necessary  ceremonies,  and  that  they  were  at  liberty  to  go 
forth  and  build  up  the  kingdom  of  God.  At  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening  he  retired  from  the  temple  and  left  the  meeting 
in  charge  of  the  Twelve  Apostles;  who  remained  to  prophesy 
and  speak  in  tongues  until  again  the  morning  dawned.  Dur- 
ing the  night  the  Savior  appeared  with  a  host  of  ministering 
angels.  The  Prophet  said  that  it  was  a  Pentecost  long  to  be 
remembered,  for  the  sound  should  go  forth  from  that  place 
into  all  the  world. 

The  next  day,  Thursday,  March  81st,  the  ceremonies  in 
the  temple  were  repeated  for  the  benefit  of  those  Saints  who 
could  not  find  room  in  the  house  on  the  preceding  Sabbath. 

On  Sunday,  the  3rd  day  of  April,  1836,  after  the  regular 
service  of  the  day  the  Prophet  and  Oliver  Cowdery  retired  to 
the  pulpit  and  dropped  the  veils  by  which  it  was  separated  from 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  197 

tin'  body  of  the  house  and  bowed  in  solemn  and  nlcnt  prayer. 
After  rising,  a  vision  of  supernal  sublimity  and  beauty  was 
opened  to  the  eyes  of  their  understanding.  They  saw  the 
Lord  standing  upon  the  breastwork  of  the  pulpit,  and  under 
His  feet  they  saw  a  paved  work  of  pure  gold  in  color  like 
amber.  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire,  the  hair  of  His 
head  was  white  like  the  pure  snow,  His  countenance  shone 
above  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  and  His  voice  was  as  the 
sound  of  the  rushing  of  great  waters,  even  the  voice  of 
Jehovah, saying  : 

"  I  am  the  first  and  the  last,  I  am  he  who  liveth,  I  am  he  who  was  slain, 
I  am  your  advocate  with  the  Father. 

"Behold,  your  sins  are  forgiven  you,  you  are  clean  before  me,  there- 
fore lift  up  your  heads  and  rejoice. 

"Let  the  hearts  of  your  brethren  rejoice,  and  let  the  hearts  of  all  my 
people  rejoice,  who  have,  with  their  might,  built  this  house  to  my  name, 

**  For  behold,  I  have  accepted  this  house,  and  my  name  shall  be  here, 
and  I  will  manifest  myself  to  my  people  in  mercy  in  this  house, 

"Yea,  I  will  appear  unto  my  servants,  and  speak  unto  them  with 
mine  own  voice,  if  my  people  will  keep  my  commandments,  and  do  not 
pollute  this  holy  house, 

"Yea,  the  hearts  of  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  shall  greatly 
rejoice  in  consequence  of  the  blessings  which  shall  be  poured  out,  and  the 
endowment  with  which  my  servants  have  been  endowed  in  this  house ; 

"And  the  fame  of  this  house  shall  spread  to  foreign  lands,  and  this 
is  the  beginning  of  the  blessing  which  shall  be  poured  out  upon  the  heads  of 
my  people.  Even  so.  Amen." 

This  vision  closed,  and  then  the  heavens  were  again 
opened.  Moses  appeared  and  committed  unto  them  the  keys 
of  the  gathering  of  Israel.  After  this  came  Elias,  who  gave 
to  them  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel  of  Abraham.  When 
this  vision  had  closed  Elijah,  the  prophet  who  Avas  taken  to 
heaven  without  tasting  death,  appeared  unto  them,  testifying 
that  the  time  had  fully  come  which  was  spoken  of  by  the  mouth 
of  Malachi  concerning  the  coming  of  Elijah  —  before  the 
great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord  —  to  turn  the  hearts  of  the 
fathers  to  the  children  and  the  children  to  the  fathers,  lest  the 
earth  should  be  smitten  with  a  curse. 

During  several  weeks  following  the  dedication  of  the 
temple  the  Prophet  and  his  associates  were  constantly  engaged 


198  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

in  measures  for  the  spiritual  advancement  of  the  people  and 
with  the  building  up  of  Kirtland.  A  comforting  thing  came  to 
Joseph  at  that  time.  It  was  in  the  month  ot  May,  1836, 
when  his  uncles  Asael  and  Silas  Smith  arrived  in  Kirtland 
with  their  families,  and  bringing  with  them  the  Prophet's 
grandmother,  Mary  Smith.  This  noble  woman  was  ninety- 
three  years  of  age;  she  was  the  widow  of  Asael  Smith,  who 
had  prophesied  concerning  the  coming  forth  of  Joseph  and 
who  had  lived  to  accept  the  Book  of  Mormon.  The  aged 
Mary  had  traveled  five  hundred  miles  to  see  her  grandson,  the 
Prophet.  For  ten  days  all  her  relatives  in  Kirtland  enjoyed 
the  pleasure  of  her  presence,  and  then  she  gently  fell  asleep 
in  death. 

On  the  25th  day  of  July,  1836,  the  Prophet  departed 
with  his  brother  Hyrum,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Oliver  Cowdery 
on  a  mission  to  the  Eastern  States.  He  labored  diligently  in 
the  vicinity  of  Salem  in  Massachusetts;  and  while  there 
received  a  revelation  in  which  the  Lord  declared  that  many 
people  from  that  part  would  in  His  due  time  be  gathered  out 
to  journey  to  Zion. 

Joseph  returned  to  Kirtland  in  the  month  of  September. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

CLAY    COUNTY    SORROWFULLY    BIDS    THE    SAINTS    TO    MIGRATE     INTO 

THE    WILDERNESS JOSEPH     SENDS     A     DIGNIFIED    LETTER    TO 

THE    CITIZENS CONTINUANCE    OF    MOB     AUTOCRACY    IN    JACK- 
SON—  DUNKLIN'S    HELPLESSNESS  —  THE    SAINTS    FORM    THE 

NEW    COUNTY    OF    CALDWELL    AND    LAY    OUT    FAR    WEST. 

"THEY  were  eastern  men,  whose  manners,  habits,  customs, 
and  even  dialect,  are  essentially  different  from  our  own.  They 
are  non-slaveholders,  and  opposed  to  slavery,  which  in  this 
peculiar  period,  when  Abolitionism  has  reared  its  deformed 
and  haggard  visage  in  our  land,  is  well  calculated  to  excite 
deep  and  abiding  prejudices  in  any  community  where  slavery 
is  tolerated  and  protected." 

This  was  the  complaint  raised  against  the  Saints  in  Clay 
County  on  the  29th  day  of  June,  1836,  by  a  mass  meeting  of 
leading  citizens  who  assembled  at  Liberty. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  when  the  mob  had  accom- 
plished its  awful  work  in  Jackson  County,  the  persecuted 
Saints  had  sought  and  found  a  temporary  refuge  in  Clay. 
During  all  the  intervening  time  of  nearly  three  years  constant 
efforts  had  been  made  to  secure  a  restoration  of  the  Saints  to 
their  lawful  possessions  at  Independence  and  vicinity;  but  all 
in  vain,  for  the  mob  power  triumphed  over  law,  and  murderous 
rapine  still  trampled  upon  law  and  justice. 

Clay  County  had  been  the  only  one  to  show  any  available 
hospitality  toward  the  plundered  ones.  But  now  the  time 
had  come  when  a  feeling  of  self-preservation,  as  they  called  it, 
prompted  the  citizens  of  even  this  charitable  region  to  send 
the  Saints  forth  to  renewed  wandering. 

The  measures  adopted  were  not  intentionally  cruel;  it  is 
pitiable  even  at  this  hour  to  read  the  resolutions  of  the  mass 
meeting  which  decreed  this  exile;  they  show  that  the  men 
who  formulated  them  were  sinning  against  their  own  sense  of 
justice,  but  for  the  sake  of  their  own  families  snd  property. 


200  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

At  the  meeting  in  Liberty,  John  Bird  was  chosen  chair- 
man, and  John  F.  Doherty  secretary.  The  recorded  minutes 
of  that  assemblage  state  that  the  reasons  given  in  the  opening 
of  this  chapter,  with  other  similar  causes,  "  have  raised  a  feel- 
ing of  hostility"  against  the  Saints  "that  the  first  spark  might 
ignite  into  all  the  horrors  and  desolations  of  a  civil  war,  the 
worst  evil  that  could  befall  any  country." 

Continuing,  the  document  says : 

"We  therefore  feel  it  our  duty  to  come  forward,  as 
mediators,  and  use  every  means  in  our  power  to  prevent  the 
occurrence  of  so  great  an  evil.  As  the  most  efficacious  means 
to  arrest  the  evil,  we  urge  on  the  Mormons  to  use  every 
means  to  put  an  immediate  stop  to  the  emigration  of  their 
people  to  this  county.  We  earnestly  urge  them  to  seek  some 
other  abiding  place,  where  the  manners,  the  habits,  and 
customs  of  the  people  will  be  more  consonant  with  their  own. 

"For  this  purpose,  we  would  advise  them  to  explore  the 
territory  of  Wisconsin.  This  country  is  peculiarly  suited  to 
their  condition  and  their  wants.  It  is  almost  entirely  unsettled ; 
they  can  there  procure  large  bodies  of  land  together,  where 
there  are  no  settlements,  and  none  to  interfere  with  them.  It 
is  a  territory  in  which  slavery  is  prohibited,  and  it  is  settled 
entirely  with  emigrants  from  the  north  and  east. 

"  The  religious  tenets  of  this  people  are  so  different  from 
the  present  churches  of  the  age,  that  they  always  have, 
and  always  will,  excite  deep  prejudices  against  them,  in  any 
populous  country  where  they  may  locate.  We,  therefore,  in 
a  spirit  of  frank  and  friendly  kindness,  do  advise  them  to  seek 
a  home  where  they  may  obtain  large  and  separate  bodies  of 
land,  and  have  a  community  of  their  own.  We  further  say 
to  them,  if  they  regard  their  own  safety  and  welfare;  if  they 
regard  the  welfare  of  their  families,  their  wives  and  children, 
they  will  ponder  with  deep  and  solemn  reflection  on  this 
friendly  admonition. 

"If  they  have  on-e  spark  of  gratitude,  they  will  not 
willingly  plunge  a  people  into  civil  war,  who  held  out  to  them 
the  friendly  hand  of  assistance  in  that  hour  of  dark  distress, 
when  there  were  few  to  say,  God  save  them.  We  can  only  say 
to  them  if  they  still  persist  in  the  blind  course  they  have 
heretofore  followed  in  flooding  the  county  with  their  people, 
that  we  fear  and  firmly  believe  that  an  immediate  civil  war  is 
the  inevitable  consequence.  We  know  that  there  is  not  one 
among  us  who  thirsts  for  the  blood  of  that  people. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

"  We  do  not  contend  that  we  have  the  least  right,  undfr  the 
Constitution  and  laws  of  the  country,  to  expel  them  by  force.  But 
we  would  indeed  be  blind,  if  we  did  not  foresee  that  the  first 
blow  that  is  struck,  at  this  moment  of  deep  excitement,  must 
and  will  speedily  involve  every  individual  in  a  war,  bearing 
ruin,  woe  and  desolation  in  its  course.  It  matters  but  little 
how,  where,  or  by  whom,  the  war  may  begin,  when  the 
work  of  destruction  commences,  we  must  all  be  borne  onward 
by  the  storm,  or  crushed  beneath  its  fury.  In  a  civil  war, 
when  our  home  is  the  theatre  on  which  it  is  fought,  there 
can  be  no  neutrals;  let  our  opinions  be  what  they  may,  we 
must  fight  in  self-defence. 

"  We  want  nothing,  we  ask  nothing,  we  would  have  noth- 
ing from  this  people,  we  only  ask  them,  for  their  own  safety, 
and  for  ours,  to  take  the  least  of  the  two  evils.  Most  of  them 
are  destitute  of  land,  have  but  little  property,  are  late  emi- 
grants to  this  country,  without  relations,  friends,  or  endearing 
ties,  to  bind  them  to  this  land.  At  the  risk  of  such  imminent 
peril  to  them  and  to  us,  we  request  them  to  leave  us,  when 
their  crops  are  gathered,  their  business  settled,  and  they  have 
made  every  suitable  preparation  to  remove.  Those  who  have 
forty  acres  of  land,  we  are  willing  should  remain  until  they 
can  dispose  of  it  without  loss,  if  it  should  require  years.  But 
we  urge,  most  strongly  urge,  that  emigration  cease,  and  cease 
immediately,  as  nothing  else  can  or  will  allay  for  a  moment, 
the  deep  excitement  that  is  now  unhappily  agitating  this  com- 
munity. 

*  *  ***** 

"  That  if  the  Mormons  agree  to  these  propositions,  we  will 
use  every  means  in  our  power  to  allay  the  excitement  among 
our  own  citizens,  and  to  get  them  to  await  the  result  of  these 
things. 

"  That  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  that  the  recent 
emigration  among  the  Mormons  should  take  measures  to  leave 
this  county  immediately,  as  they  have  no  crops  on  hand,  and 
nothing  to  lose  bv  continuing  their  journey  to  some  more 
friendly  land." 

This  paper  had  the  unanimous  support  of  the  meeting, 
and  when  this  decree,  mingling  the  sorrow  of  humane  men 
with  the  cruel  necessity  of  what  seemed  self-preservation,  was 
entered,  the  meeting  adjourned  for  three  days.  In  the  mean- 
time a  committee  named  in  the  resolution  was  to  confer  with 
the  leaders  of  the  Saints  and  obtain  their  reply. 


202  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

When  the  Prophet  heard  of  this  new  mandate  of  banish- 
ment he  was  on  the  eve  of  starting  from  Kirtland  upon  his 
journey  to  the  east;  but  before  going  he  forwarded  a  letter 
signed  by  himself,  his  counselors,  his  brother  Hyrum,  and 
Oliver  Cowdery,  to  the  committee  of  citizens  at  Liberty 
entrusted  with  the  promulgation  of  the  order  of  exile,  in 
which  letter  the  following  passages  occur : 

"Under  existing  circumstances,  while  rumor  is  afloat  with 
her  accustomed  cunning,  and  while  public  opinion  is  fast 
setting,  like  a  flood-tide  against  the  members  of  said  Church, 
we  cannot  but  admire  the  candor  with  which  your  preamble 
and  resolutions  were  clothed,  as  presented  to  the  meeting  of 
the  citizens  of  Clay  County,  on  the  29th  of  June  last.  Though, 
as  you  expressed  in  your  report  to  said  meeting — '  We  do  not 
contend  that  we  have  the  least  right,  under  the  constitution 
and  laws  of  the  country,  to  expel  them  by  force,' — yet  com- 
munities may  be,  at  times,  unexpectedly  thrown  into  a  situa- 
tion, when  wisdom,  prudence,  and  that  first  item  in  nature's 
law,  self-defence,  would  dictate  that  the  responsible  and 
influential  part  should  step  forward  and  guide  the  public  mind 
in  a  course  to  save  difficulty,  preserve  rights,  and  spare  the 
innocent  blood  from  staining  that  soil  so  dearly  purchased 
with  the  fortunes  and  lives  of  our  fathers.  And  as  you  have 
come  forward  as  '  mediators,'  to  prevent  the  eifusion  of  blood, 
and  save  disasters  consequent  upon  civil  war,  we  take  this 
opportunity  to  present  to  you,  though  strangers,  and  through 
you,  if  you  wish,  to  the  people  of  Clay  County,  our  heartfelt 
gratitude  for  every  kindness  rendered  our  friends  in  affliction, 
when  driven  from  their  peaceful  homes,  and  to  yourselves, 
also,  for  the  prudent  course  in  the  present  excited  state  of 
your  community.  But,  in  doing  this,  justice  to  ourselves,  as 
communicants  of  that  Church  to  which  our  friends  belong,  and 
duty  towards  them  as  acquaintances  and  former  fellow  citizens, 
require  as  to  say  something  to  exonerate  them  from  the  foul 
charges  brought  against  them,  to  deprive  them  of  their  con- 
stitutional privileges,  and  drive  them  from  the  face  of  society  : 

"  They  have  been  charged,  in  consequence  of  the  whims 
and  vain  notions  of  some  few  uninformed,  with  claiming  that 
upper  country,  and  that  ere  long  they  were  to  possess  it,  at  all 
hazards,  and  in  defiance  of  all  consequences.  This  is  unjust 
and  far  from  a  foundation,  in  truth.  A  thing  not  expected, 
not  looked  for,  not  desired  by  this  society,  as  a  people,  and 
where  the  idea  could  have  originated  is  unknown  to  us.  We 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  203 

<lo  not,  neither  did  we  ever  insinuate  a  thing  of  this  kind,  or 
licnr  it  from  the  leading  men  of  ttie  society,  now  in  your 
country.  There  is  nothing  in  our  religious  faith  to  warrant  it, 
but  on  the  contrary,  the  most  strict  injunctions  to  live  in 
obedience  to  the  laws,  and  follow  peace  with  all  men.  And 
we  doubt  not,  but  a  recurrence  to  the  Jackson  County  diffi- 
culties, with  our  friends,  will  fully  satisfy  you,  that  at  least, 
heretofore,  such  has  been  the  course  followed  by  them.  That 
instead  of  fighting  for  their  own  rights,  they  have  sacrificed 
them  for  a  season,  to  wait  the  redress  guaranteed  in  the  law, 
and  so  anxiously  looked  for  at  a  time  distant  from  this.  We 
have  been,  and  are  still,  clearly  under  the  conviction,  that  had 
our  friends  been  disposed,  they  might  have  maintained  their 
possessions  in  Jackson  County.  They  might  have  resorted 
to  the  same  barbarous  means  with  their  neighbors,  throwing 
down  dwellings,  threatening  lives,  driving  innocent  women 
and  children  from  their  homes,  and  thereby  have  annoyed 
their  enemies  equally,  at  least — but  this  to  their  credit,  and 
which  must  ever  remain  upon  the  pages  of  time,  to  their 
honor — they  did  not.  They  had  possessions,  they  had  homes, 
they  had  sacred  rights,  and  more  still,  they  had  helpless,  harm- 
less innocence,  with  an  approving  conscience  that  they  had 
violated  no  law  of  their  country  or  their  God,  to  urge  them 
forward — but,  to  show  to  all  that  they  were  willing  to  forego 
these  for  the  peace  of  their  country,  they  tamely  submitted, 
and  have  since  been  wanderers  among  strangers  (though 
hospitable)  without  homes.  We  think  these  sufficient  reasons 
to  show  to  your  patriotic  minds,  that  our  friends,  instead  of 
having  a  wish  to  expel  a  community  by  force  of  arms,  would 
suffer  their  rights  to  be  taken  from  them  before  shedding 

blood. 

*  *  *  #  * 

"  Another  charge  of  great  magnitude  is  brought  against 
our  friends  in  the  west — of  '  keeping  up  a  constant  communi- 
cation with  the  Indian  tribes  on  pur  frontier,  with  declaring, 
even  from  the  pulpit,  that  the  Indians  are  a  part  of  God's 
chosen  people,  and  are  destined,  by  heaven,  to  inherit  this 
land,  in  common  with  themselves.'  We  know  of  nothing, 
under  the  present  aspect  of  our  Indian  relations,  calculated  to 
rouse  the  fears  of  the  people  of  the  upper  Missouri,  more  than 
a  combination  or  influence  of  this  nature ;  and  we  cannot  look 
upon  it  other  than  one  of  the  most  subtle  purposes  of  those 
whose  feelings  are  embittered  against  our  friends,  to  turn  the 
eye  of  suspicion  upon  them  from  every  man  who  is  acquainted 
with  the  barbarous  cruelty  of  rude  savages.  Since  a  rumor 


-04  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

was  afloat  that  the  western  Indians  were  showing  signs  of  war, 
wre  have  received  frequent  private  letters  from  our  friends, 
who  have  not  only  expressed  fears  for  their  own  safety,  in  case 
the  Indians  should  break  out,  but  a  decided  determination  to 
be  among  the  first  to  repel  any  invasion,  and  defend  the 
frontier  from  all  hostilities.  We  mention  the  last  fact, 
because  it  was  wholly  uncalled  for  on  our  part,  and  came  pre- 
vious to  any  excitement  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  Clay 
County,  against  our  friends,  and  must  definitely  show,  that 
this  charge  is  also  untrue. 

"  Another  charge  against  our  friends,  and  one  that  is  urged 
as  a  reason  why  they  must  immediately  leave  the  county  of 
Clay,  is,  that  they  are  making  or  are  like  to,  the  same  'their 
permanent  home,  the  center  and  general  rendezvous  of  their 
people.'  We  have  never  understood  such  to  he  the  purpose, 
wish  or  design  of  this  society;  but  on  the  contrary,  have  ever 
supposed,  that  those  who  ever  resided  in  Clay  County,  only 
designed  it  as  a  temporary  residence,  until  the  law  and  author- 
ity of  our  country  should  put  them  in  the  quiet  possession  of 
their  homes  in  Jackson  County;  and  such  as  had  not  pos- 
sessions there,  could  purchase  to  the  entire  satisfaction  and 
interest  of  the  people  of  Jackson  County. 

"  Having  partially  mentioned  the  leading  objections  urged 
against  our  friends,  we  would  here  add,  that  it  has  not  been 
done  with  a  view  on  our  part,  to  dissuade  you  from  acting  in 
strict  conformity  with  your  preamble  and  resolutions,  offered 
to  the  people  of  Clay  County,  on  the  29th  ult,,  but  from  a 
sense  of  duty  to  a  people  embarrassed,  persecuted  and 
afflicted.  For  you  are  aware,  gentlemen,  that  in  times  of 
excitement,  virtues  are  transformed  into  vices,  acts,  which  in 
other  cases  and  under  other  circumstances,  would  be  con- 
sidered upright  and  honorable,  interpreted  contrary  from 
their  real  intent,  are  made  objectional  and  criminal;  and  from 
whom  could  we  look  for  forbearance  and  compassion  with 
confidence  and  assurance,  more  than  from  those  whose  bosoms 
are  warmed  with  those  pure  principles  of  patriotism  with 
which  you  have  been  guided  in  the  present  instance,  to 
secure  the  peace  of  your  county,  and  save  a  persecuted 
people  from  further  violence  and  destruction? 

"It  is  said  that  our  friends  are  poor;  that  they  have  but 
little  or  nothing  to  bind  their  feelings  or  wishes  to  Clay 
County,  and  that  in  consequence,  have  a  less  claim  upon  that 
county.  We  do  not  deny  the  fact,  that  our  friends  are  poor; 
but  their  persecutions  have  helped  to  render  them  so.  While 
other  men  were  peacefully  following  their  avocations,  and 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  20.") 

extending  their  interest,  they  have  heen  deprived  of  the  right 
of  citi/enship,  prevented  from  enjoying  their  own,  charged 
with  violating  the  sacred  principles  of  our  constitution  and 
laws:  made  to  feel  the  keenest  aspersions  of  the  tongue  of 
slander,  waded  through  all  hut  death,  and  are  now  suffering 
under  calumnies  calculated  to  excite  the  indignation  and 
hatred  of  even  people  among  whom  they  may  dwell,  thereby 
exposing  them  to  destruction  and  inevitable  ruin! 

"If  a  people,  a  community,  or  a  society,  can  accumulate 
wealth,  increase  in  worldly  fortune,  improve  in  science  and 
arts,  rise  to  eminence  in  the  eyes  of  the  public,  surmount 
these  difficulties,  so  much  as  to  bid  defiance  to  poverty  arid 
wretchedness,  it  must  be  a  new  creation,  a  race  of  beings 
superhuman.  But  in  all  their  poverty  and  want,  we  have  yet 
to  learn,  for  the  first  time,  that  our  friends  are  not  industrious 
and  temperate,  and  wherein  they  have  not  always  been  the 
last  to  retaliate  or  resent  an  injury,  and  the  first  to  overlook 
and  forgive.  We  do  not  urge  that  there  are  not  exceptions  to 
be  found:  all  communities,  all  societies  and  associations,  are 
cumbered  with  disorderly  and  less  virtuous  members  —  mem- 
bers who  violate  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  the  principles  of 
the  same.  But  this  can  be  no  just  criterion  by  which  to  judge 
a  whole  society.  And  further  still,  where  a  people  are  labor- 
ing under  constant  fear  of  being  dispossessed,  very  little 
inducement  is  held  out  to  excite  them  to  be  industrious. 

"  AVe  think,  gentlemen,  that  we  have  pursued  this  subject 
far  enough,  and  we  here  express  to  you,  as  we  have  in  a  letter 
accompanying  this,  to  our  friends,  our  decided  disapprobation 
to  the  idea  of  shedding  blood,  if  any  other  course  can  be 
followed  to  avoid  it;  in  which  case,  and  which  alone,  we  have 
urged  upon  our  friends  to  resist  only  in  extreme  cases  of  self- 
defence;  and  in  this  case  not  to  give  the  offence  or  provoke 
their  fellow-men  to  acts  of  violence, — which  we  have  no  doubt 
they  will  observe,  as  they  ever  have.  For  you  may  rest 
assured,  gentlemen,  that  we  would  be  the  last  to  advise  our 
friends  to  shed  the  blood  of  men,  or  commit  one  act  to 
endanger  the  public  peace. 

"We  have  no  doubt  but  our  friends  will  leave  your  county, 
sooner  or  later, — they  have  not  only  signified  the  same  to  us, 
but  we  have  advised  them  so  to  do,  as  fast  as  they  can  without 
incurring  too  much  loss.  It  may  be  said  that  they  have  but 
little  to  lose  if  they  lose  the  whole.  But  if  they  have  but 
little,  that  little  is  their  all,  and  the  imperious  demands  of  the 
helpless,  urge  them  to  make  a  prudent  disposal  of  the  same. 
And  we  are  highly  pleased  with  a  proposition  in  your 


206  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

preamble,  suffering  them  to  remain  peacably  till  a  disposition 
can  be  made  of  their  land,  etc.,  which  if  suffered,  our  fears  are 
at  once  hushed,  and  we  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that 
during  the  remaining  part  of  the  residence  of  our  friends  in 
your  county,  the  same  feelings  of  friendship  and  kindness 
will  continue  to  exist,  that  have  heretofore,  and  that  when  they 
leave  you,  you  will  have  no  reflection  of  sorrow  to  cast,  that 
they  have  been  sojourners  among  you. 

"To  what  distance  or  place  they  will  remove,  we  are 
unable  to  say :  in  this  they  must  be  dictated  with  judgment 
and  prudence.  They  may  explore  the  territory  of  Wisconsin 
—they  may  remove  there,  or  they  may  stop  on  the  other  side 
— of  this  we  are  unable  to  say;  but  be  they  where  they  will, 
we  have  this  gratifying  reflection,  that  they  have  never  been 
the  first,  in  an  unjust  manner,  to  violate  the  laws,  injure  their 
fellow-men,  or  disturb  the  tranquil  ity  and  peace  under  wThich 
any  part  of  our  country  has  heretofore  reposed.  And  we 
cannot  but  believe,  that  ere  long  the  public  mind  must 
undergo  a  change,  when  it  will  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
that  this  people  have  been  illy  treated  and  abused  without 
cause,  and  when,  as  justice  would  demand,  those  who  have 
been  the  instigators  of  their  sufterings  will  be  regarded  as 
their  true  characters  demand. 

"Though  our  religious  principles  are  before  the  world, 
ready  for  the  investigation  of  all  men,  yet  we  are  aware  that 
the  sole  foundation  of  all  the  persecution  against  our  friends, 
has  arisen  in  consequence  of  the  calumnies  and  misconstruc- 
tions, without  foundation  in  truth,  or  righteousness,  in  com- 
mon with  all  other  religious  societies,  at  their  first  commence- 
ment; and  should  Providence  order  that  we  rise  not  as  others 
before  us,  to  respectability  and  esteem,  but  be  trodden  down 
by  the  ruthless  hand  of  extermination,  posterity  will  do  us  the 
justice,  when  our  persecutors  are  equally  low  in  the  dust,  with 
ourselves,  to  hand  down  to  succeeding  generations,  the  virtu- 
ous acts  and  forbearance  of  a  people,  who  sacrificed  their 
reputation  for  their  religion,  and  their  earthly  fortunes  and 
happiness  to  preserve  peace,  and  save  this  land  from  being 
further  drenched  in  blood. 

"AVe  have  no  doubt  but  your  very  seasonable  mediation, 
in  the  time  of  so  great  an  excitement,  will  accomplish  your 
most  sanguine  desire,  in  preventing  further  disorder;  and  we 
hope,  gentlemen,  that  while  you  reflect  upon  the  fact,  that  the 
citizens  of  Clay  County  are  urgent  for  our  friends  to  leave 
you,  that  you  will  also  bear  in  mind,  that  by  their  complying 
with  your  request  to  leave,  they  surrender  some  of  their  dear- 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  -<>T 

ost  rights  and  among  the  first  of  those  inherent  principles 
guaranteed  in  the  constitution  of  our  country;  and  that  human 
nature  can  be  driven  to  a  certain  extent,  when  it  will  yield  no 
farther.  Therefore,  while  our  friends  suffer  so  much,  and 
forego  so  many  sacred  rights,  we  sincerely  hope,  and  we  have 
every  reason  to  expect,  that  a  suitable  forbearance  may  be 
shown  by  the  people  of  Clay,  which  if  done,  the  cloud  that 
has  been  obscuring  your  horizon,  will  disperse,  and  you  will  be 
left  to  enjoy  peace,  harmony  and  prosperity." 

Nothing  could  be  more  admirable  than  the  candor  and 
gentleness  of  this  letter.  While  Joseph's  heart  was  bleeding 
for  his  injured  brethren  in  the  west,  his  sense  of  justice  was 
so  exalted  that  he  could  recognize  every  honest  purpose 
among  the  men  who  felt  forced  to  make  the  edict  of  expatri- 
ation. The  Prophet  also  sent  a  letter  of  comfort  to  the  Elders 
in  Clay,  counseling  peace  and  yet  advising  the  protection  at 
any  cost  of  wives  and  little  children. 

No  delay  had  been  granted  in  which  to  receive  such 
communication  from  Kirtland;  and  the  leading  brethren  in 
Clay  assembled  on  July  1,  1836,  the  second  day  following  the 
mass  meeting,  and  considered  the  proposition/  William  W. 
Phelps  was  chairman,  arid  John  Corrill  was  secretary.  A 
committee  consisting  of  twelve,  E.  Partridge,  I.  Morley,  L. 
Wight,  T.  B.  Marsh,  E.  Higbee,  C.  Beebee,  I.  Hitchcock,  I. 
Higbee,  S.  Bent,  T.  Billings,  J.  Emmet  and  E.  Evans,  was 
appointed  to  report  a  preamble  Avith  resolutions.  These  were 
presented  and  unanimously  adopted  as  follows: 

"  That  we  (the  '  Mormons'  so  called),  are  grateful  for  the 
kindness  which  has  been  shown  to  us  by  the  citizens  of  Clay, 
since  we  have  resided  with  them,  and  being  desirous  for  peace 
and  wishing  the  good  rather  than  the  ill-will  of  mankind,  will 
use  all  honorable  means  to  allay  the  excitement,  and  so  far  as 
we  can,  remove  any  foundations  for  jealousies  against  us  as  a 
people.  We  are  aware  that  many  rumors  prejudicial  to  us  as 
a  society  are  afloat,  and  time  only  can  prove  their  falsity  to 
the  world  at  large.  We  deny  having  claim  to  this  or  any 
other  county  or  country  further  than  we  purchase  with  money, 
or  more  than  the  constitution  and  laws  allow  us  as  free 
American  citizens.  We  have  taken  no  part  for  or  against 
slavery,  but  are  opposed  to  the  abolitionists,  and  consider  that 


•20S  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

men  have  a  right  to  hold  slaves  or  not  according  to  law.  We 
believe  it  just  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
and  warn  the  righteous  to  save  themselves- from  the  corruptions 
of  the  world,  but  we  do  not  believe  it  right  to  interfere  with 
bondservants  nor  preach  the  gospel  to,  nor  meddle  with,  or 
influence  them  in  the  least  to  cause  them  to  be  dissatisfied 
with  their  situation  in  this  life,  thereby  jeopardizing  the  lives 
of  men.  Such  interference  we  believe  to  be  unlawful  and 
unjust,  and  dangerous  to  the  peace  of  every  government 
allowing  human  beings  to  be  held  in  servitude.  We  deny 
holding  any  communications  with  the  Indians,  and  mean  to 
hold  ourselves  as  ready  to  defend  our  country  against  their 
barbarous  ravages  as  any  other  people.  We  believe  that  all 
men  are  bound  to  sustain  and  uphold  the  respective  govern- 
ments in  which  they  reside,  while  protected  in  their  inherent 
and  inalienable  rights  by  the  laws  of  such  governments;  and 
that  sedition  and  rebellion  are  unbecoming  every  citizen  thus 
protected,  and  should  be  punished  accordingly.  It  is  needless 
to  enter  into  a  further  detail  of  our  faith  or  mention  our 
sufferings : — 

"  Therefore  Resolved,  For  the  sake  of  friendship,  and  to  be 
in  a  covenant  of  peace  with  the  citizens  of  Clay  County,  and 
the  citizen*  of t Clay  County  to  be  in  a  covenant  of  peace  with 
us,  notwithstanding  the  necessary  loss  of  property  and  expense 
we  incur  in  moving,  we  comply  with  the  requisitions  of  their 
resolutions  in  leaving  the  county  of  Clay,  as  explained  by  the 
preamble  accompanying  the  same ;  and  that  we  will  use  our 
exertions  to  have  the  Church  do  the  same ;  and  that  we  will 
also  exert  ourselves  to  stop  the  tide  of  emigration  of  our 
people  to  this  county. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  accept  of  the  friendly  offer  verbally 
tendered  to  us,  by  the  committee  yesterday,  to  assist  us  in 
selecting  a  location  and  removing  to  it." 

The  dread  decree  was  met  and  accepted.  The  Saints  were 
fully  alive  to  the  kindness  of  the  people  of  Clay  and  were 
willing  to  sacrifice  what  little  comforts  they  had  been  able 
to  accumulate  since  their  banishment  from  Jackson,  and 
to  take  up  their  sick  and  their  helpless  ones  and  journey; 
but  whither?  Nobly  did  they  repay  the  charity  which  had 
been  extended  to  them.  If  their  presence  was  a  menace  to 
the  well-being  of  men  who  had  in  the  hour  of  affliction  offered 
the  hand  of  help,  they  would  brave  death  in  the  wilderness, 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  209 

rather  than  have  it  so  any  longer.  It  was  an  awful  hour,  but 
the  alternative  was  exile  or  dishonor  to  their  pledge.  Let 
their  choice  speak  for  them  throughout  all  the  ages. 

A  home  in  civilization  was  denied  to  these  afflicted  Saints. 
The  o*ld  moh  organization  in  Jackson  was  still  maintained. 
Only  a  few  weeks  previous  to  this  time  a  committee  of  officials 
in  Jackson  had  formulated  recommendations  to  their  fellow- 
ruffians  in  case  the  Saints  should  attempt  to  come  back  to 
form  a  new  settlement  or  to  repossess  their  own  property. 
The  chief  executive  of  the  state,  Daniel  Dunklin,  under  date 
of  July  18th,  made  a  miserable  confession  of  his  utter  inability 
to  help  or  protect  them.  And  the  settled  counties  adjoining 
Clay  had  already  refused  to  permit  them  to  live  and  labor 
within  their  borders. 

But  when  the  citizens  of  Clay  witnessed  the  nobility  of 
the  long- suffering  Saints,  they  adopted  a  resolution  urging  the 
keeping  of  "the  peace  towards  the  Mormons  as  good  faith, 
justice,  morality  and  religion  require."  Committees  were 
appointed  by  these  citizens  to  aid  the  people  in  their  removal. 
And  before  adjourning,  the  meeting  adopted  the  following  reso- 
lution: 

"  That  this  meeting  recommend  the  Mormons  to  the  good 
treatment  of  the  citizens  of  the  adjoining  counties.  We  also 
recommend  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  counties  to 
assist  the  Mormons  in  selecting  some  abiding  place  for  their 
people  where  they  will  be  in  a  measure  the  only  occupants  and 
where  none  will  be  anxious  to  molest  them." 

In  less  than  three  months  the  Saints  began  their  work  of 
removal  from  Clay  County  into  the  wilderness.  They  had  few 
of  the  facilities  for  extensive  travel  or  for  the  establishment  of 
comfortable  settlements.  To  the  north  and  east  of  Clay  was 
Ray  County,  the  upper  part  of  which  was  almost  entirely 
unoccupied.  But  seven  men  lived  there,  and  these  were  bee- 
hunters  who,  having  exhausted  the  honey  of  that  region,  were 
about  to  desert  the  place.  The  timber  was  poor  and  the  land 
unattractive  to  ordinary  settlers.  Into  this  place,  known  as 
the  Shoal  Creek  region,  the  Saints  journeyed.  They  bought 
out  the  few  possessions  of  the  bee-hunters  and  began  to  make 


210  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

homes.  The  natural  poverty  of  the  country  rendered  it  for  a 
time  a  place  of  safe  refuge.  But  it  was  then,  as  it  has  been 
since  the  case,  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  are  left  in  undisputed 
possession  of  a  desert  or  a  wilderness  until  they  have  redeemed 
it  from  physical  chaos  and  made  it  a  delightful  habitation  for 
man — then  their  expulsion  or  oppression  begins.  Their  indus- 
try and  thrift  are  a  temptation  to  the  idle  and  dissolute. 

With  the  simple  hope  of  enjoying  the  life,  liberty  and 
religious  freedom  guaranteed  by  the  constitution,  the  Saints 
immigrated  into  northern  Ray  in  considerable  numbers.  In 
December,  1836,  they  petitioned  the  legislature  of  the  state  of 
Missouri  to  incorporate  the  Shoal  Creek  region  and  surround- 
ing lands,  which  were  almost  entirely  unoccupied  except  by 
them,  as  a  new  county.  The  prayer  was  granted  in  that 
month,  and  the  county  was  organized  under  the  name  of  Cald- 
well.  The  city  of  Far  West  was  laid  out  during  the  winter, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1837,  preparations  were  made  for  the 
erection  of  a  house  of  the  Lord  in  that  place. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  FIRST    SERIOUS    APOSTASY   AND    THE   FIRST    GREAT    MISSIONARY 

MOVEMENT DISSENSIONS     AT     KIRTLAND,     AND      SUCCESSFUL 

LABORS  IN  ENGLAND JOSEPH  MEETS  JOHN  TAYLOR  IN  CANADA 

TRIALS      AND      MURDEROUS      MOBS     AT     PAINESVILLE — THE 

PROPHET     WADES     THROUGH    SWAMPS    IN    THE    NIGHT,    CARRY- 
ING  SIDNEY    UPON    HIS    BACK. 

"  I  SAY  unto  all  the  Twelve,  Arise  and  gird  up  your  loins,  take  up  your  cross, 
follow  me,  and  feed  my  sheep. 

"Exalt  not  yourselves;  rebel  not  against  my  servant  Joseph,  for  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  I  am  with  him,  and  my  hand  shall  be  over  him  ;  and  the 
keys  which  I  have  given  unto  him,  and  also  to  you  ward  shall  not  be  taken 
from  him  till  I  come. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  211 

"  Wherefore,  whithersoever  they  (the  First  Presidency)  shall  send  you, 
go  ye,  and  I  will  be  with  you." 

This  was  a  commandment  given  through  Joseph  unto 
Thomas  B.  Marsh,  at  Kirtland,  on  the  23rd  day  of  July,  1837, 
concerning  the  Twelve  Apostles  of  the  Lamb.  It  was  neces- 
sary; for  pride  and  disunion  and  the  ambitions  of  the  world 
were  doing  their  work  among  some  of  their  number,  and  they 
would  heed  neither  the  counsels  of  Joseph  nor  the  direct 
behest  of  the  Almighty. 

Not  for  many  generations  had  men  been  favored  of  the 
Lord  as  they  had  been.  They  had  received  heavenly  mani- 
festations sufficient,  one  would  think,  to  keep  them  from  ever 
turning  away  from  the  truth.  But  after  receiving  these 
glorious  evidences  of  divine  favor,  like  their  master,  Jesus, 
they  were  "tempted  of  the  devil;"  yet  not  like  their  Lord, 
some  of  these  men  yielded  to  temptation  and  fell  from  their 
high  estate.  They  did  not  resist  the  allurements  of  Satan. 
The  desire  for  the  glory  of  the  world,  the  wealth  of  the  world, 
the  vain  things  of  the  world,  overcame  them.  A  mania  to 
speculate,  to  make  money,  became  almost  universally  preva- 
lent. It  was  a  general  tendency  in  the  United  States,  and 
especially  in  the  west,  at  the  time  of  which  we  write.  For- 
getting the  visions  of  eternity  they  had  beheld ;  forgetting  the 
holy  anointing  they  had  received ;  forgetting  their  high  callings 
and  their  dedication  to  the  ministry  of  the  Son  of  God,  leading 
men  became  real  estate  dealers,  merchants,  organizers  of  "  wild- 
cat" schemes,  and  eventually  deadly  enemies  of  the  work  of 
God  and  of  him  whom  He  had  chosen  as  His  Prophet. 
Simultaneously  with  this  spirit  of  speculation,  came  the  spirit 
of  apostasy  and  rebellion  against  the  authority  of  heaven.  So 
rife  did  this  spirit  become  that  those  who  rebelled  were 
applauded,  and  evil  men  were  glad  to  find  excuse  in  the 
example  of  the  Twelve  and  other  leading  men  for  their  own 
wrong-doing.  The  few  of  the  Apostles  who  were  willing  to 
fulfill  the  requirements  of  the  gospel  in  all  things  were  ridiculed 
and  every  effort  was  made  to  dissuade  them  from  the  course 
they  were  pursuing.  Jealousy  and  hatred  of  the  Prophet 
cropped  out  on  every  hand.  Those  who  disobeyed  were  called 


212  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

wise  by  all  the  disaffected  spirits  ;  and  those  who  made  every 
required  sacrifice  in  humility  were  called  foolish.  But  the  gen- 
eration had  not  passed  away  before  the  Lord  repaid  according  to 
His  promise.  The  men  who  had  exalted  themselves  were  abased 
into  nothingness ;  while  those  who  had  bowed  their  heads  in 
humility  were  exalted.  To-day  the  names  of  the  proud  and 
the  vain  of  that  time  are  almost  forgotten ;  while  the  names  of 
the  Apostles  who  endured  all  things  faithfully  are  held  in  most 
solemn  and  sacred  remembrance  by  the  congregation  of  Israel. 

It  was  a  time  of  great  trial.  In  the  winter  of  1836-7  pre- 
parations had  been  made  to  establish  a  bank  to  be  known  as 
the  Kirtland  Safety  Society — an  institution  wisely  designed  to 
ameliorate  the  financial  condition  of  the  community.  The 
society  was  established ;  but  the  Prophet's  plan  for  its  uselul- 
ness  and  the  general  prosperity  failed  through  the  envy  and 
covetousness  of  some  of  the  leading  men.  The  sorrow 
which  this  brought  to  Joseph  cannot  be  described.  He  had 
labored  and  advised  with  no  other  object  than  the  general 
benefit,  carrying  upon  his  own  shoulders  a  greater  burden 
than  was  imposed  upon  anyone  else.  He  had  not  sought  self- 
aggrandizement,  nor  would  he  willingly  permit  the  avarice  of 
other  men  to  gain  advantage  over  the  community's  welfare. 

He  took  part  in  every  labor ;  and  had  assumed  personally 
a  large  share  of  the  work  and  care  of  the  printing  office, 
which  was  at  that  time  a  great  responsibility  and  expense. 

So  many  evil  surmisings,  so  much  disunion  and  apostasy 
followed  in  quick  succession  the  spirit  of  speculation  to  which 
reference  has  been  made,  that  the  Prophet  was  led  to  exclaim : 

"  It  seemed  as  though  all  the  powers  of  earth  and  hell 
were  combining  their  influence  to  overthrow  the  Church." 

The  integrity  of  all  was  tested.  Instances  of  fidelity  to 
the  Prophet  were  not  wanting,  especially  among  the  meek  and 
humble,  and  when  the  Prophet  met  with  these  their  presence 
and  words  brought  solace  and  encouragement  to  his  wounded 
spirit.  Among  the  prominent  men  defection  was  too  general. 
Several  of  them  yielded  to  a  spirit  of  murmuring  and  fault- 
finding who  afterwards  bitterly  repented  of  their  unstable  and 
weak  conduct  and  lack  of  integrity  and  courage.  The  feeling 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  213 

which  Joseph  had  during  these  sorrowful  days  is  illustrated 
by  remarks  which  he  made  to  Elder  Wilford  Woodruff,  when 
the  latter  called  upon  him  in  the 'spring  of  1837,  on  the  eve  of 
his  departure  on  a  mission  to  Fox  Islands.  At  that  time  Elder 
Woodruff  was  one  of  the  first  seventy.  The  Prophet  scrutin- 
ized him  very  closely,  as  though  he  would  read  his  inmost 
thoughts,  and  remarked :  "Brother  Woodruff,  I  am  glad  to  see 
you;  I  hardly  know,  when  I  meet  those  who  have  been  my 
brethren  in  the  Lord,  who  of  them  are  my  friends,  they  have 
become  so  scarce." 

When  Elder  Woodruff  reported  to  Sidney  Bigdon,  who 
was  then  the  Prophet's  first  counselor,  how  strongly  he  was 
impressed  to  carry  the  gospel  to  Fox  Islands,  to  a  people  who, 
he  felt,  were  ready  to,  receive  it,  Sidney  said:  "That  is  right;  I 
wish  you  would  go;  for  if  you  do,  some  of  the  devils  who  are 
now  here  in  Kirtland  will  follow  you,  as  they  will  every  faith- 
ful man  who  goes  out  into  the  vineyard." 

The  enemies  of  the  cause  abroad  were  united  with  the 
spirits  of  dissension  at  Kirtland,  to' produce  disaffection  against 
the  Prophet  himself  and  to  attribute  to  him  those  evils  which 
were  solely  caused  by  disobedience  to  his  counsel  and  the  com- 
mand of  God  expressed  through  him.  As  we  have  seen, 
some  of  the  Twelve  were  so  far  blinded  that  they  joined 
secretly  with  the  enemy;  but  there  was  not  a  quorum  in  the 
Church  that  was  entirely  exempt  from  the  evil  influence. 

Joseph  was  stricken  with  illness  in  June,  1837.  And 
while  he  was  wrestling  with  the  adversary  to  overcome  the 
physical  affliction,  the  doubting  members  of  the  Church  were 
taught  by  apostates  that  his  woes  had  been  sent  upon  him 
because  of  his  transgressions.  When  the  Prophet  was  once 
more  restored  through  prayer  and  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty 
to  his  condition  of  health  and  power,  he  humbly  said  of  his 
enemies: 

"  The  Lord  judge  betwixt  me  and  them,  while  I  pray  my 
Father  to  forgive  them  the  wrong." 

While  Satan  was  spreading  this  spirit  of  dissension 
through  Kirtland,  the  Lord  was  directing  to  Joseph  the  mag- 
nificent missionary  movement  to  the  old  world.  About  the 


214  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

first  day  of  June,  1837,  that  devoted  and  ever-constant  Apos- 
tle Heber  C.  Kimball  was  set  apart  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy 
and  revelation  to  preside  over  a  mission  to  England — the  first 
in  that  dispensation.  With  him  were  associated  Apostle 
Orson  Hyde  and  Elders  Willard  Richards  and  Joseph  Field- 
ing; and  when  they  reached  New  York  they  were  joined  by 
three  brethren  from  Canada,  John  Goodson,  Isaac  Russell  and 
John  Snider.  They  sailed  from  the  United  States  on  the  1st 
day  of  July,  1837,  on  the  ship  Garrick,  and  landed  in  Liver- 
pool on  the  20th  day  of  that  same  month. 

This  was  the  commencement  of  a  glorious  work,  which 
has  brought  the  honest-in-heart  by  tens  of  thousands  from 
foreign  lands,  and  which  yet  continues  and  must  continue  until 
the  elect  shall  be  gathered  and  the  judgments  of  God  are 
poured  out  upon  the  nations.  Though  this  was  the  first  mis- 
sionary work  of  the  Church  performed  in  another  hemisphere, 
self-denying  brethren  had  up  to  this  time  been  diligent  in 
laboring  in  Canada,  in  the  states  and  among  the  Indians  on 
the  border,  that  the  people  of  this  continent  might  have  an 
opportunity  to  hear  and  obey. 

It  was  a  glorious  overcoming  of  the  evil  which  menaced 
the  Church  at  that  hour.  Drawing  strength  and  means  from 
abroad  to  the  cause,  the  missionary  movement  also  opened  a 
glorious  opportunity  for  Elders  in  Zion  to  forsake  speculations, 
vanities,  dissensions,  and  to  prove  their  faith  by  their  devoted 
efforts  for  the  salvation  of  their  fellow-men. 

Apostles  Kimball  and  Hyde,  and  Elder  Richards  and  com- 
panions landed  on  this  foreign  shore  absolutely  moneyless. 
They  did  not  have  so  much  as  a  cent  or  a  farthing,  but  they  were 
not  dismayed.  The  Prophet  of  God  had  pronounced  upon 
their  heads  blessings  which  they  knew  could  not  fail.  Imme- 
diately after  landing  at  Liverpool  they  advanced  to  Preston, 
thirty  miles  distant.  When  they  alighted  from  the  coach  they 
found  unfurled  above  their  heads  a  large  flag  bearing  this 
inscription  in  letters  of  gold : 

"  TRUTH    WILL    PREVAIL  !  " 

The  banner  was  floating  in  compliment  to  Queen  Victoria 
who  had  but  recently  ascended  the  throne  after  the  death  of 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  215 

King  William  IV.;  but  it  was  accepted  as  a  promise  and  a 
good  omen  by  the  Elders,  and  they  were  not  disappointed. 

Elder  Joseph  Fielding  had  a  brother  who  resided  at  Pres- 
ton, and  with  whom  he  and  his  sisters,  one  of  whom  after- 
wards became  the  wife  of  President  Hyrum  Smith,  and  the 
mother  of  his  son,  Joseph  F.  Smith,  had  corresponded.  He 
was  a  minister  of  religion,  and  was  styled  Rev.  James  Field- 
ing. Three  days  after  the  Elders  landed  in  England  they 
preached  in  Mr.  Fielding's  church,  at  Preston,  and  seven  days 
later  they  baptized  nine  persons  in  the  River  Ribble  near  that 
place.  The  continuation  of  their  work  was  marked  by  a  noble 
zeal  on  their  own  part  and  a  prosperity  under  the  divine  assist- 
ance almost  without  parallel. 

The  hatred  against  the  Prophet  took  violent  form  at  this 
time.  Every  possible  effort  was  made  by  apostates  and  mobo- 
crats  to  harass  and  injure  him.  On  the  27th  day  of  July, 
1837,  he  departed  from  Kirtland  with  Elders  Brigham  Young, 
Albert  P.  Rockwood,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Thomas  B.  Marsh 
•for  the  purpose  of  performing  a  mission  among  the  Saints  in 
Canada.  A  considerable  work  was  being  done  there,  and  the 
Prophet  desired  to  give  personal  counsel  and  assistance  to  the 
Saints.  But  when  they  reached  Paiiiesville,  a  few  miles  from 
Kirtland,  writs  in  civil  action  and  warrants  of  arrest  were 
served  upon  Joseph  for  the  purpose  of  detaining  him.  These 
suits  were  vexatious  and  without  any  foundation  in  law  or  jus- 
tice. Their  purpose  was  stated  by  Sheriff  Kimball,  the  man 
who  served  the  papers  upon  the  Prophet,  to  Elder  Anson  Call 
as  follows : 

"  We  don't  want  your  Prophet  to  leave  Kirtland,  and  he 
sha'n't  leave." 

Two  or  three  times  during  that  day  the  civil  suits  against 
him  were  dismissed,  and  he  was  discharged  from  the  criminal 
warrants,  their  trumped-up  character  being  evident.  But  this 
was  only  to  make  a  show  of  justice ;  for  the  sheriff  went  after 
the  Prophet  as  he  was  leaving  Painesville,  sprang  into  his 
carriage  and  served  another  writ  upon  him.  Though  this  case 
was  as  manifestly  unjust  as  the  others,  he  was  held  to  bail  in 
the  sum  of  $700 — quite  a  large  amount  in  those  days,  consid- 


216  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

ering  the  poverty  of  the  people  and  the  petty  nature  of  the 
suit.  It  was  decided  by  the  court  that  no  one  who  lived  in 
Kirtland  should  he  accepted  as  sureties  upon  the  bonds.  This 
order  was  made  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  prevent  the  giv- 
ing of  bail,  as  it  was  hoped  that  Joseph  could  not  secure  it  else- 
where and  that  his  person  would  remain  in  the  hands  of  his 
enemies.  It  was  Anson  Call,  then  living  at  Madison,  who 
gave  the  necessary  security  for  the  Prophet's  liberation, 
thereby  permitting  him  to  return  to  Kirtland.  Some  weeks 
subsequently,  at  the  time  appointed  for  the  trial,  the  Prophet 
appeared  in  the  court  at  Painesville;  but  as  no  one  was  there 
to  maintain  the  charge  against  him,  the  falsifiers  having 
in  the  meantime  become  frightened  at  their  own  perjury,  he 
was  acquitted. 

On  the  night  of  July  28th,  1837,  which  was  the  day  after 
the  arrests  at  Painesville,  Joseph  started  again  for  Canada 
with  the  brethren  formerly  named.  On  the  afternoon  of  the 
29th  of  July,  having  reached  Ash  tabula,  they  took  a  deck  pas- 
sage on  board  a  steamer  for  Buffalo.  They  had  very  little 
money,  and  their  accommodations  and  fare  were  of  the  hum- 
blest. They  lay  all  night  on  the  upper  deck  of  the  boat  with 
their  clothes  on  and  with  their  valises  for  pillows.  Despite  the 
tribulations  through  which  he  had  just  passed  and  despite  the 
rudeness  of  his  couch,  the  Prophet  slept  serenely  and  restfully. 
When  they  reached  Buffalo  the  party  separated,  Elders  Brig- 
ham  Young  and  Albert  P.  Rockwood  going  to  the  eastern  states, 
and  Joseph — with  Elders  Rigdon  and  Marsh — departing  for 
Upper  Canada. 

During  the  month  of  August,  1837,  Joseph  traveled 
among  the  branches  of  the  Church  in  Canada,  ministering 
counsel  and  comfort  to  the  Saints.  At  Toronto  he  met  John 
Taylor,  who  had  been  baptized  by  Parley  P.  Pratt,  and  who 
was  then  the  president  over  the  Church  in  Canada.  The 
Prophet  and  the  future  President  had  a  time  of  rejoicing 
together.  Joseph  was  deeply  impressed  by  the  character  of 
John  Taylor.  The  latter  had  been  a  preacher  in  the  Methodist 
church  at  Toronto,  and  had  in  that  organization  taken  rank  as 
a  religious  reformer.  He  declared  apostolic  doctrines  before 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  - 1  7 

he  ever  saw  one  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,  and  had  been 
brought  to  trial  before  a  ministerial  body  for  his  heretical  ser- 
mons. With  the  inspiration  that  was  upon  him  he  had  refused 
to  recant,  although  his  courageous  act  brought  ostracism  upon 
himself  and  family.  It  was  this  brave  and  scholarly  man  who 
welcomed  Joseph  and  labored  with  him  in  Canada.  It  was 
this  same  hero  who,  after  seven  years  of  trial— during  which 
he  never  flinched — was  with  his  beloved  Prophet  at  the  mar- 
tyrdom in  Carthage  jail.  Joseph's  association  with  John 
Taylor,  as  with  other  leading  men  in  the  Church,  shows  how 
the  Lord  was  directing  the  footsteps  of  His  future  Apostles 
and  Seers  of  that  generation,  that  they  should  come  into  com- 
munication and  into  living  and  loving  companionship  with  the 
founder  of  the  Church. 

When  the  Prophet  returned  from  Canada  he  secured  a 
horse  and  wagon  at  the  city  of  Buffalo,  with  which  to  make 
the  journey  to  Kirtland.  Sidney  was  with  him,  and  they 
traveled  to  Painesville  without  molestation;  but  while  there, 
eating  supper  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Bissell  who  had  been  the 
Prophet's  advocate  in  the  former  law  suits,  a  mob  surrounded 
the  house  and  yelled  for  Joseph's  blood.  Bissel  knew  that  he 
himself  might  be  a  sufferer,  but  he  was  determined  that 
murder  should  not  be  committed  upon  an  unoffending  man  if 
he  could  prevent  it.  While  the  rabble  were  congregating  in 
groups  around  the  house,  he  led  Joseph  and  Sidney  quietly 
through  the  back  door,  and  under  cover  of  night  they  slipped 
between  the  assassin  crowds  and  escaped.  Scarcely  were  they 
gone  when  the  mob  discovered  the  fact  and,  mounting  horses, 
pushed  out  upon  the  Mentor  road.  They  posted  sentinels  and 
lighted  bonfires  all  along  this  track,  which  they  expected  the 
Prophet  and  his  companion  would  travel  to  get  into  Kirtland. 
But  Joseph  took  to  the  fields.  Sidney  was  weakened  and 
almost  helpless  with  illness  and  fear.  Many  swamps  lay  in 
their  way;  and  Joseph  waded  through  these  and  carried 
Sidney  upon  his  back.  He  kept  away  from  the  road  far  enough 
to  be  secure  in  the  darkness,  while  the  fires  which  had  been 
intended  for  his  detection  really  aided  him  to  avoid  his  blood- 
thirsty pursuers.  After  a  toilsome  and  rapid  journey,  during 


218  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

which  Joseph  carried  Sidney  most  of  the  way,  they  reached 
the  end  of  the  Mentor  road  which  intersected  with  a  high- 
way leading  two  miles  into  Kirtland.  The  mob  had  not 
posted  their  sentinels  or  built  their  fires  further  than  this 
point;  and,  being  well  past  their  enemies,  Joseph  and  Sidney 
were  able  to  take  the  traveled  road  and  to  continue  their 
journey  with  less  pain  and  toil.  It  was  very  late  on  Saturday 
night  when  they  reached  their  homes  in  Kirtland  greatly 
exhausted.  None  but  their  families  heard  of  their  arrival 
until  the  next  morning,  when  Joseph  appeared  at  meeting  and 
preached  a  powerful  sermon  to  the  assembled  Saints. 

Immediately  after  this  time,  on  September  3rd,  at  a  con-* 
ference  held  in  Kirtland,  Oliver  Cowdery,  Joseph  Smith, 
Sen.,  Hyrum  Smith  and  John  Smith  were  sustained  as  assist- 
ant counselors  to  the  First  Presidency,  the  congregation  having 
declined  to  sustain  Frederick  G.  Williams  in  the  position 
which  he  held  as  second  counselor  to  the  Prophet.  Objection 
being  also  made  to  three  of  the  Apostles,  Luke  Johnson, 
Lyman  E.  Johnson  and  John  F.  Boynton,  they  were  by  the 
voice  of  the  Saints  shorn  of  their  apostolic  rank  and  were  dis- 
fellowshipped ;  however,  as  they  subsequently  made  protesta- 
tion of  their  repentance,  they  were  received  back  into  the 
Church  and  into  their  station.  But  their  humility  was  either  a 
mere  pretence  or  was  very  volatile  in  its  character;  because 
not  many  weeks  elapsed  until  they  were  once  more  engaged  in 
an  effort  to  ruin  the  Church  and  the  Prophet. 

Thus  the  first  serious  apostasy  and  the  first  great  mission- 
ary movement  of  the  Church  started  together.  How  unavail- 
ing the  falsehoods  and  lack  of  fidelity  have  been  and  how 
glorious  the  efforts  of  the  servants  of  God  to  spread  the 
light  of  the  gospel  through  every  land,  every  chapter  of  the 
Church's  history  from  that  time  to  this  speaks  in  eloquent 
tones. 

In  the  August  number  of  the  Messenger  and  Advocate  was 
published  a  prospectus  for  the  Elders'  Journal  to  be  edited  by 
the  Prophet.  In  pursuance  of  this  announcement  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Messenger  and  Advocate  was  suspended  with  the  Sep- 
tember number,  and  in  October,  1837,  the  Elders'  Journal  was 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  219 

begun;  but  only  two  numbers  were  issued  when,  through  the 
destruction  of  the  printing  office  by  fire,  in  December,  1837, 
work  of  this  character  was  stopped. 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

JOHN     TAYLOR'S     BRAVE    DEFENCE    OF    JOSEPH  —  THE    PROPHET 
ENCOUNTERS  THE  SPIRIT  OF  APOSTASY  IN  MISSOURI — HYRUM 

IN  THE  FIRST  PRESIDENCY BRIGHAM  YOUNG'S  COURAGE  AND- 

DEVOTION JOSEPH    DRIVEN    FROM    KIRTLAND DAVID    W. 

PATTEN'S  PROPHETIC  OBJECTION — SAD   EXCOMMUNICATIONS — 
FATE     OF     PROMINENT     MEN ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN THE 

GATHERING. 

AFTER  the  apostasy  became  so  general  at  Kirtland,  those  who 
banded  themselves  against  the  Prophet  and  the  faithful  Saints 
set  up  a  claim  to  the  ownership  of  the  temple.  Scenes 
of  a  turbulent  and  even  violent  character  were  witnessed 
in  that  sacred  building.  Deadly  weapons  were  drawn  and 
flourished,  and  lives  were  threatened  by  the  members  of  the 
apostate  party,  who  sought  by  these  means  to  overawe  the 
peaceful  members  of  the  Church  and  to  accomplish  the  ends 
they  had  in  view. 

After  the  visit  which  the  Prophet,  Sidney  Rigdon  and 
Thomas  B.  Marsh  made  to  Canada,  Elder  John  Taylor,  with  the 
view  of  making  preparations  to  gather  with  the  Saints  and  to  pro- 
vide a  home  for  himself  and  family,  repaired  to  Kirtland.  While 
there  he  attended  services  in  the  temple.  Fault-finding  and 
accusation  were  indulged  in  by  leading  men  in  their  remarks r 
and  the  Prophet  was  the  target  at  which  their  shafts  of  censure 
were  aimed.  They  looked  upon  him  and  spoke  of  him  as  a 
fallen  prophet.  These  attacks  aroused  all  the  lion  of  John 
Taylor's  nature — and  all  who  ever  saw  him  when  strength  and 
courage  were  demanded,  can  remember  how  grandly  he  could 


220  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

rise  to  the  occasion  and  satisfy  every  expectation — and  he 
arose  and  obtained  the  privilege  of  speaking  from  one  of  the 
stands.  He  was  a  stranger  to  the  congregation ;  they  knew 
not  who  he  was  or  whence  he  came;  but  the  Saints  saw  in  him 
a  man  of  God.  His  fine  presence,  his  courageous  demeanor, 
the  plainness  and  strength  of  his  reasoning  and  the  power  of 
God  which  accompanied  his  words,  made  a  great  impression 
upon  the  entire  audience.  His  address  was  a  masterly  exposition 
of  the  great  truths  which  God  had  inspired  Joseph  to  reveal 
— truths  of  which  all  the  learned  and  religious  world  were  in 
entire  ignorance  until  they  were  brought  forth  by  Joseph — 
and  a  defence  of  him  as  a  Prophet  of  God.  The  dissenters 
were  rebuked  and  the  Saints  were  strengthened  and 
encouraged,  and  all  felt  that  a  man  had  appeared  upon  the 
scene  who  would  yet  be  a  power  among  the  Saints.  This 
was  President  Taylor's  first  public  introduction  to  the  Saints 
at  the  gathering  place. 

Undaunted  by  the  apostasy,  and  relying  upon  the  promise 
of  the  Lord,  Joseph  knew  that  the  work  would  surely  grow  and 
that  places  must  be  appointed  for  the  gathering  of  the  Saints 
in  the  last  days.  To  every  human  appearance,  in  the  spring 
and  summer  of  1837  the  Church  was  in  a  state  of  dissolution; 
but  all  who  were  animated  by  the  spirit  of  truth  knew 
that  the  disunion  at  Kirtland  was  but  the  effort  of  the 
adversary  which,  with  patience  and  faithfulness,  might  be 
overcome. 

In  September,  Joseph  had  not  yet  learned  through  any 
earthly  medium  of  the  marvelous  work  which  was  to  be  done 
abroad  among  the  honest-in-heart ;  and  yet,  on  the  27th  day  of 
that  month,  he  and  Sidney  Rigdon  began  a  journey  to  the 
west  to  visit  the  Saints  in  Missouri  and  to  establish  places  into 
which  might  come  converts  from  every  land.  They  were 
accompanied  on  this  journey  by  Yinson  Knight  and  William 
Smith,  while  Hyrum  was  already  at  Far  West,  laboring  with 
his  accustomed  energy  and  fidelity  for  the  advancement  of  the 
gospel  and  the  well-being  of  the  Saints. 

While  the  Prophet  and  his  companions  were  on  the  way, 
Hyrum's  wife  Jerusha  died  at  Kirtland,  leaving  five  little 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  221 

children.  Her  dying  message  was  full  of  faith  in  the  gospel 
and  was  a  comfort  to  her  absent  husband  when  he  learned  it, 
and  it  proved  that  she  was  worthy  to  be  the  consort  of  the 
destined  patriarch  and  martyr. 

A  little  over  a  month  was  consumed  in  the  journey  to 
Far  West;  and  soon  after  the  Prophet's  arrival  he  began  to 
hold  meetings  for  the  settlement  of  all  difficulties  which  had 
arisen  between  the  brethren  there,  the  same  evil  spirit  which 
had  gained  such  sway  in  Kirtland  having  begun  to  assert  its 
power  in  Missouri.  On  the  7th  of  November,  1837,  a  general 
assembly  of  the  Church  was  held  at  Far  West,  at  which  Fred- 
erick G.  Williams  was  rejected  by  the  congregation  as  a  coun- 
selor to  the  President  of  the  Church ;  and,  upon  motion  of 
Sidney  Eigdon,  Hyrum  Smith  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy. 
The  local  organization  was  also  perfected,  and  prayer  was 
offered  to  God  that  this  place  might  be  a  gathering  spot  for 
the  Saints. 

As  it  appeared  to  the  Prophet  that  the  regions  surround- 
ing Far  West,  unoccupied  by  other  settlers,  afforded  yet  much 
room,  the  plat  of  Far  West  was  enlarged  into  the  dimensions 
of  a  city,  and  every  preparation  was  made  to  afford  a  refuge 
to  such  as  might  choose  to  gather  to  this  new  Stake  of  Zion. 
It  was  also  decided  that  the  time  had  not  yet  come  for  the 
building  of  a  temple  at  Far  West,  but  that  the  brethren  should 
await  the  commandment  of  the  Lord  upon  this  subject. 

About  the  10th  of  November,  Joseph  left  Far  West  to 
return  to  Kirtland,  occupying  a  month  in  the  journey  and 
reaching  his  home  on  the  10th  day  of  December. 

While  he  had  been  absent  the  spirit  of  apostasy  had 
gained  an  ascendancy,  with  men  who  had  previously  begged 
forgiveness  from  the  Prophet.  Warren  Parrish,  John  F. 
Boynton,  Joseph  Coe  and  others — deeming  that  the  absence 
of  the  Prophet  afforded  them  an  opportunity — banded 
themselves  together  to  accomplish  the  overthrow  of  the 
Church.  They  renounced  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, 
renounced  the  authority  of  the  Prophet  of  God,  and  set  up 
an  organization  for  themselves.  Denouncing  Joseph  and  his 
faithful  supporters  as  heretics,  they  became  so  violent  at  any 


222  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

opposition  to  their  falsehoods  that  they  even  sought  the  lives 
of  their  former  brethren. 

Brigham  Young  always  was  one  of  the  truest  and  most 
intrepid  of  men;  and  during  all  these  Kirtland  troubles  he 
openly  and  fearlessly  declared  to  all  that  Joseph  Smith  was  a 
Prophet  of  God  and  had  neither  transgressed  nor  fallen  from 
his  divinely  appointed  place.  His  unswerving  and  undaunted 
attitude,  the  plainness  of  his  declarations  and  the  vigor  of  his 
defence  of  Joseph,  and  his  exposure  of  the  schemes  of  his 
enemies,  aroused  their  fury.  The  apostates  could  not  brook 
this  boldness  of  the  Apostle  Brigham;  it  interfered  with  their 
murderous  designs  against  Joseph  and  their  hateful  purposes 
against  the  Church.  Threats  and  cajolery  having  alike  failed 
to  intimidate  or  divert  him,  they  determined  to  kill  him.  But  he 
learned  of  their  designs;  and,  nearly  two  weeks  after  the 
Prophet  had  returned  to  Kirtland  and  was  able  to  assert  his 
own  authority,  Brigham  Young  departed  for  Missouri  to 
escape  the  assassins  who  ravened  for  his  life  at  Kirtland. 

In  the  meantime  the  work  abroad  progressed  gloriously. 
On  Christmas  day,  1837,  a  conference  was  held  at  Preston,  at 
which  the  reports  showed  that  already  the  branch  of  the 
Church  in  England  numbered  about  one  thousand  souls. 

The  letters  conveying  these  happy  tidings  had  not  yet 
reached  the  Prophet;  and,  except  as  hope  was  inspired  in  his 
heart  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  had  little  comfort  through  the 
darkness  of  that  night  of  1837,  for  apostasy  and  transgression 
strove  hard  to  rule  the  weak  and  ruin  the  staunch  at  Kirtland. 

The  experience  of  1836-7  in  the  Church  demonstrated  as 
never  before  that  irrefragable  testimonies  concerning  the 
divine  origin  of  the  gospel  and  the  prophetic  calling  of  Joseph 
were  not  alone  sufficient  to  keep  men  faithful.  Unflinching 
firmness  and  intrepidity  were  also  indispensable;  but  pre- 
eminent above  all  other  qualities,  purity  of  life  was  absolutely 
essential.  The  half-century  which  has  since  elapsed  has  abun- 
dantly confirmed  this.  The  virtuous,  humble  men  who  possessed 
steadfastness  and  faith  in  the  days  of  trial  at  Kirtland,  have 
since  grown  to  prominence  among  the  Saints.  The  qualities 
which  they  then  exhibited  have  had  ample  room  for  exercise 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  223 

in  the  subsequent  vicissitudes  through  which  the  Church  has 
passed.  The  Lord  has  tested  and  proved  them ;  they  have 
acquired  confidence  themselves;  and  the  people  have  ever 
looked  to  them  as  leaders  who  could  be  trusted  and  upon 
whose  courage,  judgment  and  integrity  they  could  safely  rely. 

In  this  connection  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  three 
men  who  have  succeeded  the  Prophet  Joseph  as  Presidents  of 
the  Church,  were  all  distinguished  during  Joseph's  lifetime 
for  their  love  for  the  truth  and  their  unswerving  affection  and 
loyalty  to  him  as  the  Prophet  of  God.  President  Brigham 
Young,  probably  above  all  men  in  Kirtland,  displayed  these 
qualities  during  the  stormy  scenes  of  the  last  year  of  his  resi- 
dence at  that  place. 

President  Wilford  Woodruff,  though  not  so  prominent  in 
those  days  as  he  afterwards  became,  was  expostulated  with, 
coaxed  and  ridiculed  by  some  of  his  old  friends,  notably  War- 
ren Parrish,  who  had  been  his  fellow-missionary  in  the  South- 
ern States,  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  him  to  join  them  and 
turn  against  the  Prophet'.  But  the  integrity  of  the  man  was 
immovable  and  all  their  efforts  proved  unavailing. 

With  the  dawn  of  the  new  year  confusion  and  mobocratic 
power  increased,  and  on  the  12th  of  January,  1838,  Joseph 
and  Sidney  were  driven  from  Kirtland  to  escape  mob  violence. 
Their  destination  was  Far  West,  and  they  were  pursued  more 
than  two  hundred  miles  by  armed  enemies  seeking  their  lives. 
The  weather  was  intensely  severe,  and  Joseph  and  his  com- 
panion, with  their  families  who  had  joined  them,  suffered 
greatly  in  their  endeavor  to  elude  the  murderous  pursuit. 
Several  times  the  pursuers  crossed  the  Prophet's  track.  Twice 
they  entered  the  houses  where  his  party  had  gained  a  refuge, 
and  once  they  occupied  a  room  in  the  same  building  with  only 
a  partition  between  them,  through  which  the  Prophet  heard 
their  oaths  and  imprecations  concerning  him.  Thus  were  they 
protected  by  divine  power,  else  murder  would  have  been 
done,  for  the  long  and  unavailing  pursuit  had  filled  these 
would-be  assassins  with  a  fiendish  desire  for  blood.  Owing  to 
the  severity  of  the  season  two  months  were  occupied  in  the 
journey  to  Far  West,  which  place  the  Prophet  and  his  family 


224  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

reached  on  the    14th  day  of  March,  1838,   accompanied   by 
Apostle  Brigham  Young  who  had  joined  him  on   the  way. 

His  arrival  was  very  timely  and  necessary.  Upon  his 
previous  visit  objection  had  been  raised  to  some  of  the  local 
authorities  and  they  were  only  accepted  by  the  congregation 
after  having  made  humble  confession  of  their  sins  and  entered 
their  solemn  promise  of  repentance. 

But  so  soon  as  the  Prophet  had  turned  bis  back  upon  Far 
West  to  go  to  Kirtland,  the  local  presidency  had  again  entered 
into  transgression,  acting  selfishly  and  arbitrarily  in  their 
administration  of  financial  afiairs  and  completely  losing  the 
confidence  of  the  body  of  the  people. 

While  the  Prophet  had  been  journeying  toward  Missouri 
after  escaping  the  Kirtland  mob  in  January,  1838,  a  general 
assembly  of  the  Saints  in  Far  West  was  held  on  the  5th  day 
of  February,  at  which  David  Whitmer,  John  Whitmer  and 
William  W.  Phelps  were  rejected  as  the  local  presidency;  and 
a  few  days  later  Thomas  B.  Marsh  and  David  W.  Patten,  of 
the  Twelve,  were  selected  to  act  as  a  presidency  until  the 
Prophet  should  arrive.  Oliver  Cowdery  too  had  been  sus- 
pended from  his  position.  Persisting  in  unchristianlike  con- 
duct, W.  W.  Phelps  and  John  Whitmer  had  been  excommun- 
icated by  the  high  council  in  Far  West,  four  days  previous  to 
the  arrival  of  Joseph. 

This  was  the  sad  situation  as  the  Prophet  approached  the 
dwelling  place  of  the  Saints  in  Missouri.  Many  of  the  people 
went  out  to  meet  him  and  at  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  from  Far  West  they  found  him  and  tendered 
him  teams  and  money  to  help  him  forward.  The  joy  they  had 
in  his  presence  arose  from  an  absolute  knowledge  of  his  power 
and  authority  as  a  Prophet  of  God.  They  were  certain  that 
many  of  their  difficulties  would  end  with  his  presence,  because 
he  would  give  the  light  of  truth  by  which  to  guide  their  foot- 
steps. 

On  the  eighth  anniversary  of  the  organization  of  the 
Church  a  conference  was  held  at  Far  West  under  the  presi- 
dency of  Joseph.  On  this  occasion  David  W.  Patten  declared 
that  he  could  not  recommend  William  E.  McLellin,  Luke 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  225 

Johnson,  and  John  F.  Boynton  as  members  of  the  Twelve, 
and  he  was  also  doubtful  of  William  Smith.  His  objection  to 
these  men  was  prophetic,  for,  eventually,  all  of  them  lost  their 
standing,  disgraced  their  calling,  forfeited  their  knowledge  of 
the  truth  and  their  promise  of  reward  hereafter,  and  sank 
back  into  the  mire  of  this  world. 

At  the  same  conference  Brigham  Young,  David  W.  Pat- 
ten and  Thomas  B.  Marsh  were  chosen  to  preside  over  the 
Church  in  Missouri. 

On  the  12th  of  April,  1838,  Oliver  Cowdery  was  found 
guilty  of  serious  wrong-doing  for  which  he  had  not  made 
repentance,  and  he  was  excommunicated  by  the  high  council 
at  Far  West.  Before  the  same  tribunal  on  the  day  following 
David  Whitmer  was  charged  with  persistent  disobedience  of 
the  word  of  wisdom  and  with  unchristianlike  conduct,  and  he 
was  also  cut  off.  Luke  Johnson,  LymanE.  Johnson  and  John 
F.  Boynfon  were  excommunicated  about  the  same  time,  and 
less  than  a  month  later  a  similar  fate  befell  William  E. 
McLellin. 

It  was  a  sorrowful  day  for  Joseph  when  he  lost  the  com- 
panionship of  these  men  who  had  been  with  him  during  many 
trials  and  who  had  participated  with  him  in  the  glorious  under- 
standing of  heavenly  things.  But  they  were  no  longer  anything 
but  dead  branches,  harmful  to  the  growing  tree,  and  it  was 
necessary  for  the  pruner  to  lop  them  off.  Oliver  Cowdery 
and  David  Whitmer  were  two  of  the  witnesses  to  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  designated  by  the  word  of  the  Almighty  to  view  the 
plates  and  to  be  ministered  unto  by  the  Angel  of  the  Record. 
Oliver  had  stood  with  Joseph  in  the  Kirtland  temple  and  seen 
the  marvelous  manifestations  there.  It  was  sad  to  see  them 
thus  shorn  of  power  and  blessing,  but  they  had  demonstrated 
their  unworthiness  to  hold  the  positions  which  they  had  filled, 
and  the  penalty  must  fall  upon  them  that  the  Church  might 
escape  the  evil  of  their  sins. 

Had  Joseph's  faith  in  God  and  confidence  in  the  mission 
which  the  Creator  had  entrusted  to  him  been  less  than  it  was, 
he  might  have  temporized  with  these  men  and  not  dealt  with 
them  in  so  strict  and  summarv  a  manner.  He  was  attached 


226  JOSEPH     THE     PEOPHET. 

to  them  by  many  ties.  They  had  been  his  aids  and  compan- 
ions in  days  when  he  most  needed  help,  sustenance  and  friend- 
ship. Through  his  ministrations  of  the  gospel,  God  had  enabled 
him  to  abundantly  repay  them.  Still  he  never  could  forget 
their  past  associations.  They  were  two  of  the  heaven-selected 
witnesses  who  had  testified  that  God's  voice  had  declared  to 
them  that  Joseph's  translation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  had 
been  made  by  the  gift  and  power  of  God.  If  they  should  be 
excommunicated  from  the  Church,  suppose  that  they,  filled 
with  anger  thereat,  should  abandon  themselves  to  the  spirit  of 
evil  which  so  many  men,  so  dealt  with,  yielded  to  in  those 
days;  what  then?  Like  others,  might  they  not  renounce  the 
truth,  circulate  all  manner  of  falsehoods,  deny  the  divinity  of 
the  work  and  even  the  solemn  testimony  which  they  had 
borne  ?  These  might  be  the  reflections  of  an  ordinary  man 
under  such  circumstances;  but  such  thoughts  never  troubled 
this  Prophet  of  God.  This  Church  was  not  the  Church  of 
man.  Jesus  Christ,  its  divine  head,  had  promised  He  would 
take  care  of,  sustain  and  defend  it.  However  much,  then, 
Joseph's  affection  and  friendship  might  be  for  these  men,  he 
owed  a  paramount  duty  to  his  God  to  deal  with  transgressors 
in  His  Church  according  to  the  laws  which  He  had  given. 
This  duty  the  Prophet  performed  without  hesitation,  leaving 
all  consequences  for  the  Lord  to  control. 

Oliver  Cowdery,  David  Whitmer  and  Martin  Harris,  the 
three  witnesses  of  the  divine  origin  of  Joseph's  translation  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  were  all  severed  from  the  Church. 
They  became  opponents  of  Joseph  Smith  and  claimed  he  had 
fallen  into  transgression;  but  amid  all  their  trials,  temptations 
and  vicissitudes  they  never  hesitated  or  wavered  in  regard  to 
the  published  testimony  which  they  gave  to  the  world  con- 
cerning the  Book  of  Mormon.  Each  of  them  to  the  day  of 
his  death,  asseverated  in  the  most  solemn  manner  the  truth  of 
his  testimony.  All  three  are  dead;  but  they  still  live  as  immu- 
table witnesses  of  the  truth  and  divinity  of  the  record  known 
as  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  by  their  testimony  will  the  world 
yet  be  judged. 

In  the  sacred  records  which  have   corne  to  us  there  is  no 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  227 

nit  nt ion  of  any  other  man,  that  was  so  highly  favored  as  Oliver 
(\)\\dory  was,  falling  from  his  exalted  position  and  for- 
feiting his  blessings  and  Priesthood  as  he  did.  What  a  lesson 
and  warning  does  his  history  convey!  It  is  generally  under- 
stood by  those  who  knew  him  in  the  days  of  which  we  write, 
that  lie  was  guilty  of  unvirtuous  conduct.  This  came  to  the 
Prophet's  knowledge.  He  warned  Oliver  of  the  consequences 
which  would  follow  if  he  did  not  repent.  The  warnings  were 
unheeded.  The  Spirit  of  God  withdrew  itself  from  him  and 
he  fell  into  darkness;  and  from  being  the  second  Elder  in  the 
Church,  he  lost  his  standing  as  a  member  and  became  an 
alien  to  the  people  of  God.  For  years  he  remained  in  this 
condition.  After  the  exodus  of  the  Saints  from  Nauvoo  and 
the  city  of  Salt  Lake  had  been  founded,  he  arrived  at  Kanes- 
ville,  made  suitable  acknowledgments  in  great  humility  to  the 
Church  there  and  was  admitted  to  it  by  baptism  under  the 
direction  of  Elder  Orson  Hyde.  He  was  re-ordained  to  the 
Melchisedec  Priesthood  and  shortly  afterwards  died  at  Rich- 
mond, in  the  state  of  Missouri. 

Martin  Harris  also  came  back  penitent  to  the  Church, 
after  being  for  years  separated  from  it.  He  was  restored  to 
fellowship  and  the  Priesthood,  and  was  strong  in  his  testimony 
for  the  truth  up  to  his  death,  which  wras  at  a  very  advanced 
age  at  Smithfield,  Cache  County,  Utah  Territory. 

David  Whitmer  never  rejoined  the  Church;  but  his  testi- 
mony concerning  the  divine  origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon 
was  widely  circulated  through  the  newspapers  of  the  country. 
He  died  at  Richmond,  Missouri. 

Of  the  three  Apostles  who  were  then  excommunicated — 
Boynton  and  the  two  Johnsons — one  only  rejoined  the  Church. 
Luke  Johnson  came  to  Nauvoo  at  the  time  of  the  exodus  and 
was  again  admitted  to  fellowship.  He  was  one  of  the  com- 
pany of  Pioneers,  who  under  the  leadership  of  President 
Brigham  Young,  left  Winter  Quarters  on  the  Missouri  River 
in  1847,  to  find  a  home  for  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  the  great 
West,  and  which  resulted  in  the  settling  of  Great  Salt  Lake 
Valley.  Luke  Johnson  was  a  member  of  the  Church  when 
he  died  in  Salt  Lake  City. 


228  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

President  Brigham  Young  related  a  conversation  himself 
and  some  others  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  had  with  Lyman  E. 
Johnson  on  one  occasion  in  Nauvoo.  It  was  after  the  martyr- 
dom of  the  Prophet  Joseph.  They  were  speaking  of  old  times 
when  they  were  all  engaged  in  the  ministry  and  when  Lyman 
E.  Johnson  was  a  zealous  advocate  of  the  truth.  The  bitter- 
ness he  had  exhibited  in  Kirtland  had  passed  away,  and  he 
was  softened  by  the  association  with  his  old  companions. 
Speaking  of  the  heavenly  influence  and  spirit  which  had 
accompanied  him  in  his  labors  in  the  ministry,  Lyman  said, 
"  I  would  give  my  right  hand  to-day  if,  by  so  doing,  I  could 
feel  once  more  as  I  did  then." 

In  the  month  of  April,  1838,  the  Lord  commanded  His 
Saints  through  Joseph  that  the  Church  in  these  last  days 
should  be  called  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints.  He  also  commanded  His  people  to  arise  and  shine 
that  their  light  might  be  a  standard  for  the  nations,  and  that 
the  gathering  to  Zion  and  her  stakes  might  be  a  refuge  from 
the  storm  and  from  the  wrath  which  shall  be  poured  out  upon 
the  whole  earth. 

During  the  spring  and  early  summer  of  1838,  the  Prophet 
was  peacefully  engaged  in  his  labors  at  Far  West  and  in  the 
regions  surrounding.  He  established  a  stake  of  Zion  at  Adam- 
ondi-Ahman  in  Daviess  County,  Missouri,  at  the  spot  where 
Adam  had  dwelt  and  where,  according  to  Daniel  the  Prophet, 
the  Ancient  of  Days  shall  sit.  He  assisted  in  the  laying  of 
the  corner  stones  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  at  Far  West  on 
the  4th  day  of  July.  And  during  all  this  time  he  was 
busily  engaged  in  collating  data  and  recording  facts  relat- 
ing to  Church  history,  that  the  momentous  events  of  the 
eight  years  preceding  might  not  be  lost  to  the  coming  gen- 
erations. 

On  the  8th  day  of  July,  John  Taylor,  John  E.  Page,  Wil- 
ford  Woodruff  and  Willard  Richards  were  appointed  by  revela- 
tion to  fill  the  places  of  those  who  had  fallen  from  the  quorum 
of  the  Twelve.  On  the  same  day  the  Lord  declared  the 
law  of  tithing  to  stand  for  the  guidance  of  the  faithful 
forever. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  229 

Joseph  also  labored  in  the  preparation  of  the  Elders1 
Journal,  the  publication  of  which  was  resumed  in  July,  1838, 
at  Far  West. 

Apostles  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Orson  Hyde  had  returned 
from  England,  reaching  Kirtland  in  May,  1838,  having  left 
the  English  mission  under  the  presidency  of  Joseph  Fielding, 
with  Willard  Richards  and  William  Clayton  as  his  counselors. 

On  the  10th  of  March,  1838,  the  Seventies  at  Kirtland 
had  decided  to  remove  their  quorum  in  a  camp  to  the  west; 
and  on  the  6th  day  of  July  of  this  year,  a  large  body  of  the 
Saints,  numbering  five  hundred  and  fifteen  souls — including 
and  in  charge  of  the  Severities — departed  from  Kirtland  for 
Missouri.  Many  sufferings  were  endured  by  this  devoted 
band.  Their  ranks  were  decimated  by  disease  and  persecu- 
tions. Some  of  them  grew  faint  and  faithless  and  fell  by  the 
wayside.  But  the  majority  persevered;  and  about  two  hun- 
dred of  the  original  number  reached  Adam-ondi-Ahman  in 
a  body,  while  many  of  the  others  came  as  speedily  as  their 
circumstances  would  permit. 

From  that  time  on,  until  the  mob  once  more  triumphed 
and  drove  them  forth,  the  gathering  of  the  Saints  continued. 


CHAPTER    XXXYI. 

PENISTON  AROUSES  A  MOB — HIS  EXCITING  SPEECH  CAUSES  A  CRUEL 
ATTACK  UPON  TWELVE  UNARMED  BRETHREN — ONE  HUNDRED 
AND  FIFTY  MOBOCRATS  DRIVE  THEM  FROM  THE  POLLS — ADAM 
BLACK'S  PROMISE — FALSE  CHARGES  AGAINST  THE  SAINTS — THE 

SHERIFF  OF  DAVIESS  COUNTY  ARRESTS  JOSEPH BOGGS  ORDERS 

THE    RAISING  OF  THE    MILITIA THE  PROPHET  PERCEIVES    THE 

REAL    OBJECT  OF  THIS  ORDER. 

IN  August,  1838,  the  appalling  mob  crusade  began  which 
resulted  finally  in  the  exile  of  the  Saints  from  the  state  of  Mis- 
souri. 

Previous  to  this  time  lands  had  been  purchased  by  some 
of  the  brethren  in  Daviess  County,  adjoining  Caldwell  on  the 
north.  The  Saints  who  settled  there  were  industrious  and 
law-abiding  citizens.  But  the  murderous  element  in  that 
region  would  not  permit  them  to  toil  in  peace  and  enjoy  the 
rights  of  freemen.  Some  of  the  old  mobbers  were  there,  and 
they  joined  with  the  people  who  had  sold  farms  to  the  Saints 
and  who  saw  in  this  wicked  conjunction  of  forces  an  opportu- 
nity to  recover  their  possessions,  withojit  any  other  cost  than 
the  banishment  or  murder  of  the  "Mormon"  settlers.  Colonel 
William  P.  Peniston,  who  had  led  the  mob  in  Clay  County 
against  the  Saints,  was  desirous  of  being  returned  to  the  state 
legislature  as  a  representative  from  Daviess  County.  The  elec- 
tion was  to  be  held  on  the  6th  day  of  August,  1838.  Previous  to 
that  time  Peniston  and  his  friends  had  organized  with  a  deter- 
mination to  prevent  the  Saints  from  voting,  as  it  was  believed 
that  they  would  not  aid  their  old  enemy — persecutor  and  law- 
breaker that  he  was — to  a  seat  in  the  law-making  body  of  the 
state.  A  friendly  judge  named  Morin  told  some  of  the  Elders 
of  the  plot  against  them  and  advised  them  to  go  to  the  polls 
armed  and  ready  to  resist  the  unlawful  aggression.  But, 
though  they  were  strong  in  their  intention  to  exercise  their 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  231 

rights  as  set  forth  in  the  constitution  and  the  laws,  bitter 
experience  had  taught  them  that  such  an  act  on  their  part  as 
carrying  arms,  merely  for  self-protection,  would  be  called  an 
unlawful  demonstration  and  would  be  followed  by  a  general 
assault  upon  them  under  cover  of  authority.  So  they  went  to 
the  polling  places  with  no  other  weapons  than  clean  con- 
sciences, clean  ballots  and  clean,  strong  hands.  At  Gallatin, 
the  principal  town  of  the  county,  twelve  of  them  were  prepar- 
ing to  cast,  their  votes.  But  Peniston  mounted  a  barrel  and 
made  an  exciting,  desperate  speech.  He  was  surrounded  by  an 
assemblage  of  ruffians  numbering  one  hundred  and  fifty.  To 
this  inflammable  material  he  applied  the  torch. 
He  said : 

"The  Mormon  leaders  profess  to  heal  the  sick,  and  you 
know  that  is  a  damned  lie." 

He  declared  his  opposition  to  the  settlement  of  the  Saints 
in  that  region  and  told  his  hearers  that  if  they  suffered  the 
"Mormons"  to  vote,  they  would  deserve  to  lose  their  own  suf- 
frages. 

Addressing  the  Saints  he  declared  : 

"I  headed  a  mob  to  drive  you  out  of  Clay  County  and 
would  not  prevent  your  being  mobbed  now." 

Incited  to  horrible  rage  by  his  incendiary  tirade  some  of 
the  drunken  men  in  the  mob  attacked  the  brethren,  and  when 
effective  resistance  was  made  by  the  courageous  twelve,  the 
entire  rabble  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  set  upon  them.  The 
brethren  fought  with  desperate  courage.  They  were  defend- 
ing the  most  sacred  right  of  American  citizenship.  Before 
the  well-directed  blows  from  their  stout  arms  and  bare  hands, 
scores  of  the  mobocrats  fell  in  the  dust;  but  at  last,  overpow- 
ered by  numbers,  and  warned  by  the  authorities  of  the  county 
that  this  attack  had  been  premeditated  and  they  would  do 
better  to  withdraw,  the  brethren  retreated. 

Just  outside  of  town  they  held  a  council  to  decide  whether 
to  return  to  the  polling  places  or  seek  their  homes.  While 
they  were  debating  this  point,  they  saw  crowds  of  mob 
recruits  rush  into  the  town  armed  with  guns,  pistols,  knives 


232  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

and  clubs;  and  knowing  that  these  men  intended  to  do  mur- 
der upon  them  the  brethren  hastened  to  their  farms,  collected 
their  families  and  hid  them  in  a  thicket  of  hazel  brush  for  the 
night.  A  heavy  rain  came  on.  The  women  and  little  chil- 
dren, drenched  to  the  skin,  were  compelled  to  lie  upon  the 
chilling  ground  through  all  the  stormy  hours  of  darkness, 
while  their  husbands  and  fathers  stood  sentry  at  the  edge  of 
the  copse,  expecting  every  hour  that  the  dread  attack  would 
come. 

The  next  morning  word  was  brought  to  Far  West  by 
friendly  settlers  that  some  of  the  brethren  had  been  killed  at 
Gallatin,  while  attempting  to  cast  their  votes,  and  that  the 
mob  power  was  again  supreme  and  was  determined  to  drive 
the  Saints  from  the  county  of  Daviess.  It  was  reported  that 
the  murderers  would  not  even  allow  the  Saints  to  obtain  the 
bodies  of  their  dead  nor  direct  their  burial. 

Without  a  thought  for  his  personal  safety  and  with  that 
lion-like  courage  which  ever  distinguished  him,  Joseph  and 
his  no  less  heroic  brother  Hyrum,  with  fifteen  or  twenty 
others,  started  to  aid  the  Saints  in  Daviess.  On  the  way 
Joseph  was  joined  by  a  few  brethren  from  different  places, 
some  of  whom  were  fleeing  from  the  mob,  and  that  night, 
having  reached  Colonel  Wight's  house  in  Daviess  County,  he 
was  rejoiced  to  learn  that  although  some  of  the  brethren  had 
been  badly  bruised,  none  had  been  killed. 

Among  the  men  who  had  sold  lands  to  the  Saints  was 
one  Adam  Black,  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  just  then  judge 
elect  for  the  county.  This  man,  a  sworn  officer  of  the  law  and 
an  aspirant  for  further  judicial  honors,  had  joined  himself 
with  the  mob,  probably  in  the  hope  to  recover  his  farm  with- 
out cost.  Joseph  determined  to  see  this  treasonable  man  and 
remonstrate  with  him  against  the  cruelty  and  dishonesty  of 
his  course.  Upon  visiting  him  the  Prophet  received  a  verbal 
confession  of  his  alliance  with  the  rabble.  Being  further 
pressed  to  declare  what  his  future  course  would  be  concerning 
the  Saints  and  solicited  to  sign  an  agreement  of  peace,  he  pre- 
pared and  gave  to  the  Prophet  a  document,  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing is  an  exact  copy : 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  233 

"  I  Adam  Black  a  Justice  of  the  peace  of  Davies  county 
do  hereby  Sertify  to  the  people  coled  Mormin,  that  he  is 
hound  to  suport  the  constitution  of  this  State,  and  of  the 
United  State,  and  he  is  not  attached  to  any  mob,  nor  will  not 
-attach  himself  to  any  such  people,  and  so  long  as  they  will 
not  molest  me,  I  will  not  molest  them.  This  the  8th  day  of 
August,  1838.  Adam  Black  J.  P."' 

No  force  nor  unkindness  was  used  with  Black.  No  threat 
was  uttered  against  him.  The  Prophet  merely  visited  him  as 
he  visited  other  men  of  prominence  or  notoriety  in  that  region, 
in  a  manly  endeavor  to  subdue  the  kindling  flames.  What- 
ever contempt  Joseph  felt  for  the  wretch  who,  with  a  judge's 
dignity  upon  him,  could  connive  with  a  lawless,  murderous 
mob,  he  was  able  to  suppress;  his  demeanor  was  that  of 
dignity  and  repose.  But,  as  subsequent  events  proved,  Black 
could  not  forgive  the  Prophet  for  the  humiliation  which  he 
.  had  made  him  feel. 

That  night  some  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  county 
called  upon  the  Prophet,  and  together  they  agreed  to  hold 
a  conference  at  Adam-ondi-Ahman  the  next  day  at  12  o'clock. 
Pursuant  to  this  appointment,  both  parties  met  in  friendly 
council,  and  entered  into  a  covenant  of  peace,  to  preserve 
each  other's  rights  and  to  stand  in  their  defence.  For  the 
Saints  such  men  as  Lyman  Wight,  John  Smith,  Vinson 
Knight,  Reynolds  Gaboon,  and  others  resident  there,  gave 
this  pledge.  And  for  the  other  settlers,  Joseph  Morin, 
senator  elect;  John  Williams,  representative  elect;  James  P. 
Turner,  clerk  of  the  circuit  court;  and  other  men  of  influence 
and  character,  made  their  solemn  promise.  Having  accom- 
plished so  much,  the  assembly  dispersed  on  terms  of  amity, 
.and  the  Prophet  and  his  companions  returned  to  Far  West. 

The  covenant  of  protection  extended  by  the  prominent 
men  of  Daviess  County,  who  knew  and  by  their  acts  admitted 
that  the  Saints  had  been  unjustly  dealt  with  and  unlawfully 
threatened,  was  without  avail.  On  the  10th  day  of  August, 
1838,  William  P.  Peniston  and  several  of  his  creatures  made 
affidavit  before  Judge  Austin  A.  King  that  a  large  body  of 
armed  men,  whose  movements  and  conduct  he  declared  to  be 


234  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

of  a  highly  insurrectionary  character,  had  been  collecting  in 
the  county  of  Daviess  under  the  leadership  of  Joseph  Smith 
and  Lyman  "Wight,  to  intimidate  arid  take  vengeance  upon 
the  other  settlers,  to  drive  from  the  county  all  the  old  citizens 
and  possess  their  lands.  He  further  averred  that  they  had 
already  committed  great  violence  upon  Adam  Black  by 
forcing  him  to  sign  a  paper  of  a  disgraceful  character.  This 
affidavit  was  made  in  Ray  County ;  and  on  the  llth  day  of 
August  a  committee  of  citizens  came  from  that  place  to  Far 
West  to  make  inquiry  of  the  Saints  concerning  the  charges 
therein  made.  It  stands  as  a  monument  of  disproof  against 
the  assertion  *  of  Peniston,  that  the  citizens  of  Ray  County 
did  not  hesitate  to  place  themselves  in  the  power  of  the 
"  Mormons "  and  their  Prophet — knowing  full  well,  as  they 
did  from  past  experience,  that  the  Saints  were  full  of  kind  dis- 
position toward  all  men  who  would  treat  them  as  fellow- 
citizens  possessed  of  equal  rights. 

In  answer  to  the  inquiry  of  the  committee  from  Ray  the 
Saints  appointed  a  delegation  of  seven  men,  to  make  a  full 
explanation  of  the  facts  and  to  demonstrate  to  all  fair-minded 
men  their  own  innocence  as  well  as  the  wrongs  inflicted  upon 
them. 

On  the  llth  of  August,  1838,  the  Prophet  went  to  visit 
some  brethren  from  Canada  who  had  settled  on  the  banks  of 
the  Grand  River,  and  remained  with  them  through  the  suc- 
ceeding day,  which  was  the  Sabbath,  offering  such  counsel  as 
their  situation  required.  On  the  13th,  while  returning  to  Far 
West,  he  was  pursued  by  some  of  the  mobbers  but  managed 
to  elude  them.  When  within  eight  miles  of  Far  West  he  was 
met  by  several  of  the  brethren  who  had  gone  out  to  inform 
him  that  a  writ  had  been  issued  by  Judge  King  for  his  arrest 
and  that  of  Lyman  Wight,  on  a  complaint  made  by  Peniston. 
Calmly  as  one  returning  to  his  evening  rest  from  the  harvest 
field  the  Prophet  went  to  his  home,  despite  the  fears  and 
warnings  of  his  friends.  He  remained  there  awaiting  the 
coming  of  the  officers  for  three  days,  all  the  time  being 
engaged  in  labor  for  the  prosperity  and  protection  of  the 
community. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  235 

On  the  16th  of  August,  1838,  the  sheriff  of  Daviess 
County,  accompanied  by  Judge  Morin,  appeared  and  said  that 
he  had  a  writ  to  take  Joseph  into  Daviess  for  trial,  for  the 
offence  of  visiting  that  county  on  the  7th  of  August.  The 
sheriff  was  no  doubt  surprised  to  find  the  Prophet  and  to  serve 
his  writ  without  molestation,  because  a  report  had  been 
spread  by  the  mob  that  Joseph  would  not  be  apprehended  by 
legal  process.  Joseph  informed  the  sheriff  that  he  always 
hoped  to  submit  to  the  laws  of  his  country.  The  sheriff  was 
impressed  as  well  as  astonished  by  the  calm  action  and 
dignified  deportment  of  the  Prophet;  and  when  Joseph 
expressed  a  wish  to  be  tried  in  Cal dwell  instead  of  Davies& 
County,  since  he  thought  that  the  statute  of  the  state  gave  him 
that  privilege  and  justice  for  him  in  Daviess  was  out  of  the 
question,  the  sheriff  declined  to  serve  the  writ  and  said  he 
would  go  to  Richmond  to  consult  Judge  King.  Joseph 
promised  to  remain  at  home  until  the  sheriff  returned.  The 
pledge  was  ful tilled;  and  when  the  officer  got  back  he  told 
Joseph  that  Caldwell  was  out  of  his  jurisdiction  and  he  would 
not  act. 

For  the  greater  general  prosperity,  the  Saints  in  the  various 
parts  of  Caldwell  County  now  organized  under  the  Prophet's 
direction  into  agricultural  companies,  to  enclose  their  lands 
into  large  fields.  Joseph  showed  them  how  this  plan  would  be 
economical  and  add  facility  to  the  tilling  of  the  soil.  So  readily 
could  this  inspired  man  turn  from  the  tragic  tribulations  of  life 
to  render  to  his  brethren  calm  assistance  in  their  daily  labors ! 

On  the  28th  day  of  August,  1838,  Adam  Black  made  oath 
before  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  Daviess  County  that  he  had 
been  threatened  with  instant  death  by  an  armed  force  of  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  on  the  8th  day  of  August. 
He  named  several  of  the  brethren  whom  he  charged  with 
aiding  and  abetting  in  the  perpetration  of  the  offence,  and  this 
was  Black's  revenge  upon  the  Prophet  who  had  detected  him 
in  an  attempt  to  steal  back  the  land  which  he  had  sold  to  the 
Saints. 

The  agitation  in  Daviess  County  and  the  perjuries  of  the 
foiled  mobbers  aroused  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  of  memory  already 


236  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

infamous,  who  was  now  Governor  of  the  state;  and  he  sent 
letters  to  General  David  R.  Atchison  and  six  other  generals, 
ordering  them  to  raise  immediately  within  the  limits  of  their 
divisions  four  hundred  mounted  men  armed  and  equipped  as 
infantry  or  riflemen.  This  act,  which  was  ostensibly  for  the 
protection  of  good  order,  accomplished  its  wicked  purpose. 
It  aroused  intense  excitement  and  inflamed  the  desire  of  the 
mob  to  find  an  excuse  for  an  attack  upon  the  Saints,  since  they 
knew  that  the  militia  would  be  composed  of  men  who  hated 
the  "Mormons"  and  would  be  willing  to  plunder  them  on  the 
first  opportunity. 

Joseph  saw  the  tendency  of  events  and  wrote  at  this  time 
in  his  journal  as  follows: 

"  There  is  great  excitement  at  present  among  the 
Missourians,  seeking  if  possible  an  occasion  against  us.  They 
are  continually  chaffing  us,  and  provoking  us  to  anger  if 
possible ;  one  sign  of  threatening  following  another.  But  we 
do  not  fear  them;  for  the  Lord  God,  the  Eternal  Father 
is  our  God,  and  Jesus,  the  Mediator  is  our  Savior,  and 
in  the  great  I  AM  is  our  strength  and  confidence.  "We 
have  been  driven  time  after  time,  and  that  without  cause, 
and  been  smitten  again  and  again,  and  that  without  provo- 
cation, until  we  have  proved  the  world  with  kindness, 
and  the  world  proved  us  that  we  have  no  design  against  any 
man  or  set  of  men;  that  we  injure  no  man;  that  we  are 
peaceable  with  all  men ;  minding  our  own  business,  and  our 
own  business  only.  We  have  suffered  our  rights  and  our  liberties 
to  be  taken  from  us;  we  have  not  avenged  ourselves  for  those 
wrongs.  We  have  appealed  to  magistrates,  to  sheriffs,  judges, 
to  governors  and  to  the  president  of  the  United  States,  all  in  vain. 
Yet  we  have  yielded  peaceably  to  all  these  things.  We  have 
not  complained  at  the  great  God.  We  murmured  not;  but 
peaceably  left  all,  and  retired  into  the  back  country,  in  the 
broad  and  wild  prairie,  in  the  barren  and  desolate  plains,  and 
there  commenced  anew.  We  made  the  desolate  places  to  bud 
and  blossom  as  the  rose ;  and  now  the  fiend-like  race  are  dis- 
posed to  give  us  no  rest." 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

JOSEPH    VOLUNTEERS    FOR    TRIAL    AND     LYMAN     WIGHT     FOLLOWS 

BEGINNING    THE    STUDY    OF    LAW THE    TRIAL    BEFORE    A    COW- 
ARD   JUDGE,    WITH     A     PERJURED     WITNESS MILITIA    CALLED 

OUT,    BUT    THE    MOB    PRACTICALLY    DEFIES    IT — BOGGS    CONTIN- 
UES   THE    WORK    OF    OPPRESSION. 

ANGERED  at  the  frustration  of  their  plots  of  force  and  legal 
treachery  against  the  Prophet,  the  mob  continued  to  spread 
reports  in  August  and  September  of  1838,  that  he  was  defying 
the  law  and  refusing  submission  to  process  of  court.  This 
perjured  tale  received  additional  credence  among  the  unin- 
formed from  the  fact  that  the  Daviess  County  sheriff  had 
failed  to  arrest  him;  though,  as  all  should  have  known,  this 
failure  was  no  fault  of  Joseph.  But  the  falsehood  was  bring- 
ing renewed  menace  upon  the  Saints.  Upper  Missouri  erupted 
a  lava  stream  of  bad  men  into  Daviess,  Carroll,  Saline  and 
Caldwell  Counties.  Something  must  be  done  to  turn  aside  the 
onflow  or  it  would  sweep  over  all  the  dwelling  places  of  the 
Saints. 

To  stay  the  fiery  river  of  hate,  the  Prophet  offered  him- 
self as  a  sacrifice.  On  the  4th  day  of  September,  1838,  he 
volunteered,  through  his  lawyers,  Generals  Atchison  and  Doni- 
phan,  to  be  tried  before  Judge  King  in  Daviess  County. 
Lyman  Wight,  who  had  been  charged  with  him,  followed  hi& 
example. 

It  was  characteristic  of  this  industrious  Prophet  that,  on 
the  day  when  he  tendered  his  liberty  and  his  life  as  a  price  for 
the  physical  and  political  redemption  of  his  brethren,  he  began 
the  methodical  study  of  law.  The  anxiety  natural  to  his  posi- 
tion was  unfelt.  He  had  looked  so  often  upon  danger  that  its 
face  was  no  longer  terrible.  And  he  knew  that  such  learning 
as  he  should  ever  acquire  must  be  gained  in  the  midst  of  turmoil. 
He  wanted  to  know  the  science  upon  which  statutes  were  based,. 


238  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

and  to  become  learned  in  the  knowledge  of  his  country's  con- 
stitution and  enactments,  that  he  might  the  better  minister 
temporal  salvation  to  his  fellow-men;  and  the  hour  when 
prison  and  even  murder  menaced  him  was  as  propitious  as  any 
he  might  ever  see. 

The  time  appointed  for  the  trial  in  Judge  King's  court  was 
Thursday,  the  6th  day  of  September,  1838.  Joseph  was  there 
but  the  case  could  not  proceed,  because  the  prosecuting  wit- 
ness was  absent,  and  no  testimony  was  forthcoming.  The 
court  adjourned  for  the  day,  and  Joseph  returned  to  his  home, 
but  the  next  morning  he  was  again  in  attendance  and  the  trial 
proceeded.  Peniston  prosecuted,  and  Adam  Black  swore  to 
everything  which  Peniston  asked.  He  had  been  bribed  by 
money,  promises  or  threats  else  he  was  incited  by  murderous 
hate;  and  he  told  things  which  manifestly  could  not  have  had 
any  existence  except  in  his  false  mind.  He  was  the  only  wit- 
ness against  the  defendants.  In  their  behalf  four  reputable  men 
testified,  proving  incontestably  that  Black's  oaths  were  perjury 
and  Peniston's  complaint  was  a  lie.  Judge  King  admitted  in 
private  conversation  that  nothing  had  been  proved  against  the 
Prophet  and  his  companion,  and  yet  he  bound  them  over  in 
bonds  of  $500.  Without  a  murmur  the  Prophet  and  Lyman 
submitted  and  gave  the  necessary  bail. 

From  the  trial  they  were  followed  to  Far  West  by  two 
gentlemen  who  stated  that  they  had  come  from  Chariton 
County  as  a  commission  of  inquiry  in  behalf  of  their  fellow- 
citizens.  A  demand  had  been  made  by  the  mobbers  upon  the 
residents  of  Chariton  County  for  assistance  to  capture  Joseph 
Smith  and  Lyman  Wight,  and  a  committee  had  been  appointed 
by  the  fair-minded  people  of  Chariton  to  investigate  th.3  situ- 
ation. When  these  gentlemen  saw  that  the  real  purpose  of 
the  request  was  to  secure  ruffian  help  to  impoverish  the 
defenceless  Saints  and  drive  them  once  again  into  the  wilder- 
ness, they  declared  that  they  had  been  outrageously  imposed 
upon  by  the  demand  of  the  mob,  and  they  returned  to  their 
own  county  filled  with  sympathy  and  friencfty  feeling  for  Jos- 
eph and  his  brethren.  Their  findings  they  subsequently 
embodied  in  an  affidavit. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  239 

An  attack  was  planned  by  the  mob  upon  A  dam-on  di- An- 
num ;  on  the  9th  a  wagon  laden  with  guns  and  ammunition  in 
charge  of  a  party  of  the  murderous  rabble  was  going  to  that 
place  from  Richmond.  But  it  was  intercepted  by  Captain 
William  Allred,  who  arrested  the  men  in  charge,  John  B. 
Comer  and  two  others — Miller  and  McHoney — and  took  pos- 
session of  the  weapons.  A  letter  was  addressed  to  Judge 
King  immediately  by  the  Saints,  asking  him  what  should  be 
done  with  the  prisoners  and  the  captured  munitions.  This 
coward  responded  to  turn  the  prisoners  loose  and  let  them 
receive  kind  treatment.  He  was  the  judicial  officer  who,  to 
satisfy  the  mob  instead  of  satisfying  justice,  had  placed  the 
Prophet  and  Lyman  Wight  under  bonds  when,  by  his  own 
confession,  not  one  illegal  act  could  be  proved  against  them. 
Concerning  the  guns  he  was  reluctant  to  give  advice,  although 
he  promised  that  they  should  not  be  taken  from  the  Saints  to 
be  converted  and  used  for  illegal  purposes. 

Under  the  same  date  this  unjust  judge  wrote  to  General 
Atchison  to  send  two  hundred  or  more  men  to  force  the  "Mor- 
mons" to  surrender.  '  He  well  knew  that  the  Saints  were  riot 
in  a  rebellious  or  unlawful  attitude,  nor  in  a  position  to  fight. 
They  had  not  even  the  power  to  resist  mobocratic  aggression 
against  themselves,  to  say  nothing  of  being  the  assailants  in 
any  illegal  movement. 

On  the  12th  of  September,  the  men  who  had  been 
arrested  while  transporting  guns  to  the  mob  in  Daviess 
County,  were  held  to  bail  for  their  appearance  at  the  circuit 
court. 

About  the  same  time  a  large  body  of  the  rnob  entered  De 
"Witt  in  Carroll  County,  and  warned  the  brethren  to  leave  on 
pain  of  death. 

William  Dryden,  justice  of  the  peace  in  Daviess  County, 
complained  falsely  to  the  Governor  that  service  of  process 
from  his  court,  issued  against  Alanson  Ripley,  George  A. 
Smith  and  others  for  threatening  Adam  Black,  had  been 
withstood.  9 

General  Atchison  called  out  the  militia  of  Clay  and  Ray 
Counties  which,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier-General 


240  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Doniphan,  marched  to  the  timber  on  Crooked  River,  while  he 
went  with  a  single  aide  to  Far  West,  the  county  seat  of  Cald- 
well,  to  confer  with  the  leading  men  among  the  Saints.  Here 
he  was  the  guest  of  the  Prophet. 

Doniphan's  troops  had  ostensibly  been  called  into  the 
field  to  suppress  an  insurrection  and  preserve  peace.  But 
instead  of  the  military  powers  being  used  as  a  menace  to  the 
mob,  it  was  operated  as  if  the  long-suffering  Saints  had  been 
the  aggressors.  General  Doniphan,  a  friendly,  fair  and  kindly- 
disposed  man,  was  acting  under  the  Governor's  orders,  and 
the  responsibility  of  his  conduct  falls  chiefly  upon  the  executive 
of  the  state.  The  mob  prisoners  were  demanded  and  were 
set  free  with  no  regard  for  any  other  law  than  that  which 
seemed  to  reign  supreme  in  Missouri-*-the  law  of  mobocratic 
will.  The  arms  which  had  been  seized  on  the  way-  from 
Richmond  into  Daviess  County  were  collected  and  delivered 
up  to  the  General.  From  Crooked  River  General  Doniphan 
brought  his  troops  through  Millport  in  Daviess  County  to  the 
spot  where  a  mob  had  congregated  to  make  an  attack  upon 
the  Saints.  When  the  General  read  an  order  of  dispersion  to 
the  rabble  they  declared  that  their  object  was  solely  for 
defence;  and  yet  they  would  not  even  permit  the  General  in 
command  of  the  state  militia  to  approach  them  without  going 
through  such  military  formalities  as  might  have  greeted  a  flag 
of  truce  from  an  opposing  force,  while  all  the  time  that  he  was 
conferring  with  them  guards  were  marching  in  and  out,  show- 
ing that  the  camp  was  being  kept  in  a  state  of  activity. 
Although  they  promised  to  obey  the  order  requiring  them  to 
withdraw,  they  failed  to  do  so. 

From  this  place  the  General  proceeded  to  the  spot  where 
the  Saints  had  assembled  together  for  mutual  protection  under 
the  direction  of  Lyman  Wight.  A  conference  ensued  in  which 
the  Saints  agreed  to  disband,  to  surrender  up  any  one  of  their 
number  accused  of  crime,  on  condition  that  the  hostile  forces 
of  the  mob,  only  a  few  miles  distant,  should  be  dispersed.  The 
Saints  had  every  wish  to  comply  with  the  law  and  to  avoid 
every  appearance  of  resistance,  but  they  knew  too  well  that  if 
they  scattered,  unless  the  mobbers  were  also  disbanded,  they 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  -41 

would  !K'  murdered  and  [)lundercd.  (General  Atchison,  also  in 
command  of  troops,  was  joined  on  the  15th  at  the  county  seat 
of  Daviess  by  General  Doniphan  and  his  regiments.  He 
found  that  the  mohhers  were  still  under  arms  and  still  aggres- 
sive, while  the  Saints  were  still  huddled  together  for  safety. 
To  him  the  Saints  also  stated  their  willingness  to  yield  to 
any  legal  requirement,  and  they  would  cheerfully  submit  to 
any  investigation  which  might  be  demanded.  General  Atchi- 
son thought  that  peace  might  be  restored  and  so  wrote  to  the 
Governor;  but  immediately  Boggs  ordered  the  Booneville 
guards  to  be  mounted  with  ten  days'  provisions  and  in  readi- 
ness to  march  on  his  arrival;  and  he  also  ordered  General 
Lucas  to  proceed  immediately  with  four  hundred  mounted 
men  to  co-operate  with  General  Atchison.  Similar  orders 
were  issued  to  Major- Generals  Lewis  Bolton,  John  B.  Clark 
and  Thomas  B.  Grant. 

While  this  military  movement  was  taking  place  the  mob 
continued  to  seize  prisoners  and  to  send  threatening  messages, 
hoping  to  incite  the  Saints  to  some  overt  act  that  the  whole 
power  of  the  mob  and  the  militia  combined,  might  be  brought 
against  them  to  annihilate  them.  Several  times  word  was 
carried  to  the  encampment  of  the  Saints  that  prisoners  taken 
by  the  mob  were  being  tortured.  This  was  done  in  the  hope 
to  provoke  a  spirit  of  retaliation.  It  seems  strange  that  this 
situation  could  have  continued  for  more  than  a  day  with  such 
a  military  force  at  hand.  A  little  prompt  and  vigorous  action 
would  have  dispersed  the  mob  and  taught  them  to  respect  the 
power  of  the  law.  It  would  not  have  been  necessary  to  shed 
blood,  only  to  let  constitutional  majesty  be  asserted;  and  the 
Saints  might  have  remained  in  peace.  But  this  was  not  the 
purpose.  The  troops  really  had  been  called  out,  not  to  protect 
the  "Mormons,"  but  to  answer  the  lying  call  of  a  justice  of 
the  peace.  This  mighty  power  of  war  was  brought  into  oper- 
ation to  apprehend  two  or  three  men,  charged  with  a  petty 
offence,  and  who  had  not  resisted  any  attempt  to  serve  legal 
papers  upon  them. 

On  the  20th  of  September  General  Atchison  wrote  to  the 
Governor  that  the  insurrection  w^as  practically  ended;  all  the 


242  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

leading  offenders  against  the  law  had  been  arrested  and  bound 
over  to  appear  at  court.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  people  who 
had  been  the  victims  were  the  only  ones  who  were  called 
offenders,  the  plundering  rabble  going  scot  free.  All  of  the 
troops,  except  two  companies  of  the  Ray  militia  under  com- 
mand of  Brigadier-General  Parks,  were  discharged.  In  this 
same  letter  General  Atchison  said: 

"  They  [the  Mormons]  appear  to  be  acting  on  the  defensive, 
and  I  must  further  add,  gave  up  the  offenders  with  a  good 
deal  of  promptness.  The  arms  and  prisoners  taken  by  the 
Mormons  were  also  given  up  upon  demand  with  seeming 
cheerfulness." 

This  candid  opinion  was  re-enforced  a  few  days  later 
by  a  letter,  from  General  Parks  to  the  Governor,  in  which  he 
uses  the  following  expressions  : 

"  Whatever  may  have  been  the  disposition  of  the  people 
called  '  Mormons'  before  our  arrival  here,  since  we  have  made 
our  appearance  they  have  shown  no  disposition  to  resist  the 
laws,  or  of  hostile  intentions.  There  has  been  so  much  preju- 
dice and  exaggeration  concerned  in  this  matter  that  I  found 
things  entirely  different  from  what  I  was  prepared  to  expect. 
When  we  arrived  here  we  found  a  large  body  of  men  from  the 
counties  adjoining,  armed  and  in  the  field,  for  the  purpose,  as 
I  learned,  of  assisting  the  people  of  this  county  against  the 
'Mormons,'  without  being  called  out  by  the  proper  authorities. 

"  P.  S.  —  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  received  informa- 
tion that  if  the  committee  do  not  agree,  the  determination  of 
the  Daviess  County  men  is  to  drive  the  '  Mormons  '  with  pow- 
der and  lead." 


the  same  time,  General  Atchison  wrote  to  Governor 
Boggs  as  follows  : 

"Things  are  not  so  bad  in  this  county  [Davit  ss]  as  repre- 
sented by  rumor,  and,  in  fact,  from  affidavits  I  have  no  doubt 
your  Excellency  has  been  deceived  by  the  exaggerated  state- 
ments of  designing  or  half-crazy  men.  I  have  found  there  is 
no  cause  of  alarm  on  account  of  the  Mormons  :  they  are  not  to 
be  feared;  they  are  very  much  alarmed." 

About  the  26th  day  of  September,  1838,  a  committee  from 
the  mob  met  some  of  the  leading  brethren  at  Adam-ondi- 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  243 

Ah  man  and  entered  into  an  agreement  whereby  the  Saints 
were  to  purchase  lands  and  possessions  of  all  who  desired  to 
sell ;  but  this  resulted  in  nothing,  for  the  mob  had  other  pur- 
poses in  view. 

About  fifteen  or  twenty  of  the  Saints  with  Lyman  Wight, 
were  pledged  to  appear  before  the  court  at  Gallatin  for  trial  on 
the  29th  of  September. 

Hundreds  of  men  drawn  into  the  militia  service  of  Gen- 
erals Atchison,  Doniphan,  Parks  and  Lucas  were  in'  personal 
affiliation  with  the  mob.  When  the  greater  part  of  the  forces 
were  disbanded  in  Daviess  County  a  general  movement  took 
place  toward  De  Witt,  in  Carroll  County.  On  their  way  the 
bandits  breathed  their  murderous  intent  against  the  Saints ; 
and  before  the  onslaught  the  brethren  addressed  a  humble 
petition  to  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  imploring  him  to  send  succor, 
but  he  was  deaf  to  the  appeal.  His  ears  were  always  open  to 
the  voice  of  the  murderer;  never  to  that  of  the  victim.  The 
mob  could  not  ask  him  in  vain  for  help;  the  injured  Saints  sup- 
plicated again  and  again  without  a  reply.  With  the  opening 
of  October  the  mob  pressed  hard  upon  the  Saints  in  De  Witt, 
threatening  death  to  men,  captivity  to  children  and  outrage  to 
women. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIIL 

BOMBARDMENT    OF    DE  WITT APPEAL  OF  THE  SAINTS  TO    GOVERNOR 

BOGGS — HIS    HEARTLESS    REPLY — JOSEPH'S  PRESENCE   ENCOUR- 
AGES THE  BRETHREN THE    SAINTS    LEAVE    THEIR  POSSESSIONS 

IN     DE     WITT THEY     GO     TO     FAR     WEST ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN 

DEVASTATED — THE    SAINTS    ORGANIZE     FOR    DEFENCE — JOSEPH 
CONTROLS  A  MOB  WHO  DESIGN  TO    MURDER  HIM — APOSTASY  OF 

THOMAS  B.  MARSH DEATH  OF  DAVID  W.  PATTEN — "  WHATEVER 

YOU    DO    ELSE,    OH,    DO    NOT    DENY    THE    FAITH." 

"Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  he  lay  down  his  life  for  his 
friend." 

ON  the  5th  day  of  October,  1838,  word  came  to  the 
Prophet  of  the  bombardment  of  the  town  of  De  Witt,  in 
Carroll  County,  by  a  mob  army  with  muskets  and  artillery. 
The  ravenous  wretches,  many  of  whom  had  been  in  the 
militia  companies  of  Atchison,  Doniphan  and  Parks,  foiled  for 
the  moment  in  Daviess  and  Caldwell  Counties,  had  concen- 
trated upon  the  more  remote  and  defenceless  places  for  the 
purpose  of  plundering  the  Saints  and  driving  them  forth.  As 
soon  as  Joseph  heard  the  news  he  hastened  to  the  scene  of 
conflict.  The  rage  of  the  mob  naturally  fell  against  him  more 
heavily  than  against  anyone  else ;  but  it  was  his  nature 
always  to  be  where  danger  threatened  his  brethren. 

It  was  on  the  2nd  of  October  that  the  mob,  under  the 
leadership  of  Dr.  Austin,  Major  Ashley,  a  member  of  the 
legislature,  and  Sashiel  Woods,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman, 
fired  first  upon  the  town  of  De  Witt.  They  continued  during 
that  day  and  the  next,  when  they  were  reinforced  by  two  com- 
panies of  militia  under  the  command  of  Captains  Bogart  and 
Houston,  who  wrere  soon  followed  by  Brigadier-General 
Parks.  It  is  not  wrong  to  speak  of  these  troops  as  a  reinforce- 
ment of  the  mob.  They  wrere  nothing  else.  Bogart  wras  a 
Methodist  preacher  by  profession,  and  only  led  the  company 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  245 

of  militia  to  De  Witt  for  the  purpose  of  wreaking  the  sectar- 
ian vengeance  of  a  bigot  upon  the  Saints.  Parks  himself  con- 
fessed that  Bogart's  men  would  not  be  controlled  and  were 
with  the  mob  in  feeling;  and  this  was  the  General's  excuse  for 
allowing  the  outrages  of  this  time  to  go  unchecked.  On  the 
4th  of  October,  after  forty-eight  hours  of  siege,  the  people  of 
the  town  in  command  of  Colonel  Hinkle  returned  the  fire. 
Parks  made  no  effort  to  check  the  mob's  plan  of  organized 
murder.  On  the  6th  he  coolly  wrote  in  his  report  to  Atchison, 
as  follows: 

"  The  Mormons  are  at  lit  is  time  too  strong,  and  no  attack  is 
expected  before  Wednesday  or  Thursday  next,  at  which  time 
Dr.  Austin  [who  with  Bogart  was  leader  of  the  mob]  hopes 
his  forces  will  amount  to  five  hundred  men,  when  he  will 
make  a  second  attempt  on  the  town  of  De  Witt,  with  small 
arms  and  cannon.  In  this  posture  of  affairs,  I  can  do  nothing 
but  negotiate  between  the  parties  untit  further  aid  is  sent  me" 

Evidently  in  this  posture  of  affairs  Parks  wanted  to  do 
nothing.  The  "Mormons"  were  too  strong.  He  would  wait 
until  Austin's  rabble  increased  to  five  hundred,  and  by  that 
time  he  hoped  to  have  more  companies  of  militia,  which  in 
turn  would  swell  the  ranks  of  the  plundering  besiegers. 
Parks's  conduct  indicates  his  utter  lack  of  conscience;  because 
in  the  same  letter  he  says:  "As  yet  they,  the  Mormons,  have 
acted  only  on  the  defensive  as  far  as  I  can  learn." 

General  Lucas  had  been  an  observer  of  the  gathering  at 
De  Witt  and  had  been  informed  that  a  fight  had  taken  place 
there  in  which  several  persons  were  killed.  Upon  this  he 
wrote  to  the  Governor  that  if  his  information  was  true  it 
would  create  excitement  in  the  whole  of  Upper  Missouri, 
"  and  those  base  and  degraded  beings  will  be  exterminated 
from  the  face  of  the  earth."  He  added  that  if  one  of  the 
citizens  of  Carroll  should  be  killed,  before  five  days  there 
would  be  raised  against  the  "Mormons"  five  thousand  volun- 
teers whom  nothing  but  blood  would  satisfy.  Without 
attempting,  to  suggest  a  remedy  to  Boggs,  this  cruel  and 
sanguinary  Lucas  significantly  informs  his  Excellency  that  his 
troops  of  the  fourth  division  were  only  dismissed  subject  to 


246  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

further  order  and  could  be  called  into  the  field  at  an  hour's 
warning.  He  wanted  to  share  in  the  work  of  extermination ! 
These  events  had  happened  before  the  Prophet  reached 
De  Witt.  It  was  a  trying  journey,  in  which  he  had  been 
obliged  to  travel  by  unfrequented  roads  and  had  put  his  life  in 
constant  jeopardy  because  mobs  guarded  every  ingress  to  the 
town.  When  Joseph  entered  the  place  he  found  the  brethren 
only  a  handful  in  comparison  to  their  assailants.  Their  pro- 
visions were  exhausted,  and  there  was  no  prospect  of  obtaining 
more.  The  Prophet  concluded  to  send  a  message  to  the 
Governor  and  secured  the  services  of  several  influential  and 
honest  gentlemen  who  lived  in  that  vicinity  and  who  had 
been  witnesses  of  the  wanton  attack  upon  the  Saints.  These 
men  were  bold  as  well  as  honest,  for  they  made  affidavit  of 
the  outrages  which  had  been  perpetrated  within  their  sight, 
and  they  accompanied  the  supplication  for  redress  to  the 
executive  office.  The  answer  of  the  man  who  had  been  chosen 
by  the  suffrages  of  his  fellow-citizens  as  the  chief  officer  of  the 
state,  sworn  to  uphold  its  honour,  protect  its  dignity  and  main- 
tain the  supremacy  of  its  laws/was  only  this : 

"  The  quarrel  is  between  the  Mormons  and  the  mob, 
and  they  may  fight  it  out." 

Joseph's  presence  was  a  solace  and  a  sustaining  power  to 
the  Saints.  He  animated  them  by  the  courage  of  his  presence 
and  taught  them  patience  by  his  own  tenacity  of  endurance. 
He  was  not  there  as  a  warrior;  he  did  not  bear  arms;  and  yet 
he  was  a  tower  of  strength  to  his  brethren. 

Mobs  were  gathering  in  from  Ray,  Saline,  Howard, 
Livingston,  Clinton,  Clay,  Platte  and  other  parts  of  the  state 
to  reinforce  the  besiegers.  For  the  combined  assailants  a  man 
named  Jackson  was  chosen  as  the  leader.  The  Saints  were  for- 
bidden to  leave  the  town  under  penalty  of  death.  It  was  the 
purpose  to  starve  them,  since  even  this  large  crowd  of  mobbers, 
outnumbering  the  Saints  ten  to  one,  feared  to  risk  a  hand-to- 
hand  contest.  Fires  were  set  to  some  of  the  houses;  the 
cattle  were  stolen  and  roasted;  the  horses  were  driven  off; 
while  the  mob  made  merry  in  feasting  within  sight  of  the 
starving  people  whom  they  had  plundered. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  247 

Joseph  directed  applications  for  protection  to  the  judges 
of  the  circuit  court  and  in  other  quarters  but  without  avail ; 
for  where  aid  was  given,  it  consisted  of  men  willing  to  join  and 
abet  the  mobs  and  to  share  in  the  spoils.  In  the  town,  men 
were  perishing  for  want  of  food;  women  and  children  cried 
for  bread.  There  was  no  hope  of  earthly  succor. 

In  this  crisis,  Henry  Root  and  David  Thomas,  two  men 
who  had  been  the  sole  cause  of  the  settlement  at  De  "Witt, 
solicited  the  Saints  to  leave  the  place,  claiming  that  they  had 
assurance  from  the  besiegers  that,  in  such  case,  no  further 
attack  would  be  made  and  all  the  losses  would  be  paid.  Yield- 
ing to  a  necessity  the  Saints  agreed  to  this  proposition.  A 
committee  of  appraisement  was  appointed  from  men  not  con- 
nected with  the  Saints.  They  placed  a  meagre  value  on  the 
bare  land,  and  said  nothing  about  the  houses  and  other 
improvements  which  were  still  standing  or  had  been  destroyed 
by  the  mq,b,  and  nothing  about  the  stock  and  the  vehicles 
which  had  been  run  off.  It  was,  however,  an  unnecessary 
economy  of  valuation;  because  the  price,  meagre  as  it  was, 
has  never  been  paid. 

On  the  llth  day  of  October,  1838,  the  Prophet  and  the 
Saints  vacated  De  Witt  and  started  for  Caldwell  with  the 
small  remnants  of  their  possessions  which  they  could  gather 
and  hope  to  convey.  They  were  harassed  continually  on  the 
journey  by  the  mob  which,  in  violation  of  its  pledge,  fired 
upon  the  retreating  people.  Among  the  exiles  men  died  from 
fatigue  and  starvation — for  the  journey  was  greatly  hurried 
because  of  the  mobocratic  threats;  and  one  poor  woman,  who 
had  given  birth  to  a  child  on  the  very  eve  of  the  banishment, 
died  on  the  journey  and  was  buried  in  a  grave  without  a 
coffin. 

The  experience  at  De  Witt  and  on  the  journey  from  that 
place  to  Far  West  taught  the  Prophet  and  the  Saints  anew 
that  they  had  no  hope  of  protection,  no  hope  of  redress,  while 
they  remained  in  Missouri ;  and  no  hope  that  if  they  attempted 
to  leave  they  would  not  be  set  upon  and  massacred  by  the 
blood-thirsty  mob.  Nothing  was  left  them  but  to  organize  in 
some  fashion  for  self  defence,  as  they  came  fleeing  into  Far 


-48  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

West  from  all  the  surrounding  country,  leaving  their  worldly 
all  and  glad  to  escape  with  their  lives. 

The  tiger  spirit  of  the  mob  had  grown  upon  its  food.  As 
the  brethren  left  De  Witt,  Sashiel  Woods  called  many  of  the 
mobocrats  together  and  invited  them  to  hasten  into  Daviess 
County  to  continue  their  work  there.  He  said  that  the  land 
sales  were  coming  on,  and  that  if  the  "Mormons"  could  be 
first  driven  out  the  mob  could  get  all  the  land  entitled  to  pre- 
emption ;  besides,  they  could  get  back  without  pay  the  prop- 
erty already  bought  from  them  by  the  Saints.  It  was  a  welcome 
invitation,  and,  taking  their  artillery,  this  horde,  with  appetites 
whetted  for  their  base  and  cruel  work,  departed  for  Adam- 
ondi-Ahman. 

Other  mobs  were  raised  in  other  parts  to  join  in  this  gen- 
eral movement  for  rapine,  among  the  rabble  being  a  man 
named  Cornelius  Gilliam  who  called  himself  Delaware  Chief, 
with  a  party  of  miscreants  painted  to  represent  Indians. 

When  the  Prophet  arrived  in  Far  West  from  De  Witt, 
on  the  12th  day  of  October,  General  Doniphan  informed  him 
that  a  mob  of  eight  hundred  men  was  marching  against  the 
people  in  Daviess  County.  A  small  party  of  militia  had  been 
on  the  way  and  might  have  intercepted  the  rabble;  biU  Doni- 
phan ordered  them  back,  knowing  well  that  instead  of  hin- 
dering they  would  join  the  mob.  He  said :  "  They  are  damned 
rotten-hearted." 

Pursuant  to  an  order  made  by  General  Doniphan  a  com- 
pany of  militia  was  raised  in  the  county  of  Caldwell  to  act 
under  Colonel  Hinkle  and  to  proceed  to  Adam-ondi-Ahman 
for  the  protection  of  that  place.  Joseph  went  with  the  militia 
to  give  counsel  to  his  friends,  risking  his  own  life  again,  and 
taking  with  him  many  who  were  willing  to  stand  with  him  in 
martyrdom  if  need  were. 

At  Adam-ondi-Ahman  the  scenes  of  De  Witt  were 
repeated.  Houses  were  burned,  cattle  were  run  off,  women 
and  children  were  driven  out  and  exposed  to  a  terrible  storm 
which  prevailed  on  the  17th  and  18th  of  October.  In  many 
cases  people  in  ill  health  were  torn  from  their  beds  arid  were 
refused  time  to  secure  comfortable  clothing  in  which  to  make 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

their  flight.  Among  the  fugitives  was  Agnes  Smith,  the  wife 
of  the  Prophet's  brother,  Don  Carlos,  who  was  absent  on  a 
mission  to  Tennessee.  Her  house  had  been  burned  by  the 
mob,  her  property  seized,  and  she  had  fled  three  miles,  wading 
Grand  River  and  carrying  all  the  way  two  helpless  babes  in 
her  arms — glad  to  escape  death  and  outrage. 

Joseph's  soul  rose  in  arms  at  these  crimes.  The  sacrifice 
had  been  sufficient.  Every  possible  appeal  had  been  made 
and  denied.  Henceforth  the  Saints  must  protect  themselves, 
and  God  arm  the  right!  It  was  this  resolve  alone  which 
saved  the  remaining  element  of  the  Church  that  finally 
escaped  from  Missouri.  At  Adam-ondi-Ahman  the  mob 
intended  to  make  a  work  of  extermination ;  but  after  the 
arrival  of  the  troops  there,  promises  were  demanded  and 
secured  from  General  Parks  for  the  organization  of  a  militia 
company  to  resist  the  attack  and  quell  the  mob.  The  force 
was  immediately  raised  and  placed  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Lyman  Wight  who  held  a  commission  in  the  fifty- 
ninth  regiment  under  General  Parks.  These  troops  went  out 
with  a  determination  to  drive  the  mob  or  die.  They  no  longer 
fought  in  the  state-  of  Missouri  for  their  rights  as  American 
citizens ;  that  day  had  passed.  They  fought  for  life,  for  home, 
and  for  that  which  was  dearer  than  all,  the  honor  and  safety 
of  their  wives  and  daughters  who  had  been  threatened  with 
ravishment. 

A  remembrance  of  the  day  at  Gallatin,  when  twelve  had 
put  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  flight,  suddenly  came  upon  the 
mob  as  they  saw  the  advancing  forces  of  the  Saints ;  and  they 
fled.  But  fleeing,  they  resorted  to  stratagem.  They  removed 
everything  of  value  from  some  of  their  own  old  log  cabins 
and  then  set  fire  to  these  structures,  afterward  spreading  abroad 
through  all  the  country  the  declaration  that  the  "Mormons" 
had  plundered  arid  burned  the  mansions  of  law-abiding  citizens. 

An  incident  of  this  period  shows  the  Prophet's  calmness 
and  self-command  in  the  face  of  danger,  as  well  as  the 
influence  of  his  presence  even  upon  sworn  enemies. 

He  was  sitting  in  his  father's  house  near  the  edge  of  the 
prairie  one  day,  writing  letters,  when  a  large  party  of  armed 


250  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

mobocrats  called  at  the  place.  Lucy  Smith,  the  Prophet's 
mother,  demanded  their  business,  and  they  replied  that  they 
were  on  the  way  to  kill  "  Joseph,  the  Mormon  Prophet."  His 
mother  remonstrated  with  them;  and  Joseph,  having  finished 
his  writing  and  hearing  the  threats  against  himself,  walked  to 
the  door  and  stood  before  them  with  folded  arms,  bared  head 
and  such  a  look  of  majesty  in  his  eyes  that  they  quailed 
before  him.  Though  they  were  unacquainted  with  his 
identity,  they  knew  they  were  in  the  presence  of  greatness ; 
and  when  his  mother  introduced  him  as  the  man  they  sought, 
they  started  as  if  they  had  seen  a  spectre. 

The  Prophet  invited  the  leaders  into  the  house,  and  with- 
out alluding  to  their  purpose  of  murder,  he  talked  to  them 
earnestly  with  regard  to  the  persecutions  against  the  Saints. 
When  he  concluded,  so  deeply  had  they  been  impressed,  that 
they  insisted  upon  giving  him  an  escort  to  protect  him  to  his 
home. 

As  they  departed,  one  of  the  mob  leaders  said  to  another: 

"  Didn't  you  feel  strange  when   Smith   took  you  by  the 

hand?" 
/ 
And  his  companion  replied : 

"  I  could  not  move.  I  would  not  harm  a  hair  of  that 
man's  head  for  the  whole  world." 

It  was  always  so  when  men  would  listen  to  Joseph  long 
enough  to  let  the  Spirit  which  animated  him  assert  itself  to 
their  reason. 

The  extent  of  the  unhallowed  league  against  the  Saints  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  not  even  the  United  States  mails  were 
safe  during  this  period,  for  every  post  was  plundered  and  all 
letters  addressed  to  the  Prophet  were  opened. 

Unable  to  bear  the  pressure  and  to  face  the  terrors  of  the 
time,  Thomas  B.  Marsh  had  apostatized  and  had  joined  with 
McLellin  and  other  evil  men  to  act  the  part  of  Judas  against 
the  Prophet.  The  faith  of  others  also  failed,  and,  thinking 
by  apostasy  to  save  themselves  from  the  destruction  which 
seemed  impending,  they  came  out  against  Joseph  and  the 
Church  and  went  over  to  their  enemies. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  "2 •">  I 

On  tin1  iM-tli  of  October,  eight  armed  mobbers  plundered 
a  house  some  little  distance  from  Far  West  and  took  three  of 
the  brethren  prisoners,  namely,  Nathan  Pinkham,  William 
Seely  and  Addison  Green.  With  much  exultation,  these 
brigands  declared  their  intention  to  murder  their  prisoners 
that  night.  Learning  of  this  awful  boast,  the  judge  of  the 
county  instructed  Colonel  Hinkle  to  send  out  a  company  to 
rescue  the  men  and  disperse  their  captors.  Seventy-five 
of  the  militia  under  command  of  David  W.  Patten 
were  directed  by  Hinkle  to  fulfill  this  order.  In 
departing  Captain  Patten  announced  his  hope  to  rescue 
his  unoffending  brethren  without  shedding  any  blood 
and  to  bring  them  back  to  Far  West.  Fifty  men  of 
this  company  marched  to  the  ford  on  Crooked  River,  where 
they  came  upon  an  ambuscade  of  the  mob  who  fired  upon 
them,  mortally  wounding  a  young  man  named  O'Banion. 
Captain  Patten  ordered  a  charge  upon  the  enemy,  at  the  same 
time  shouting  the  watchword,." Our  God  and  liberty!"  The 
concealed  mobocrats  fired  as  the  company  rushed  down  upon 
them.  A  musket  ball  pierced  the  bowels  of  David  W.  Patten, 
fatally  wounding  him.  At  the  same  fire  a  shower  of  bullets 
struck  Gideon  Carter,  who  fell  to  the  ground  to  die  after  a  few 
moments  of  agony.  So  defaced  was  Carter  by  his  many 
wounds  that  later,  when  his  brethren  were  gathering  up  their 
dead  and  wounded,  they  failed  to  recognize  his  body.  Several 
others  among  the  brethren  were  wounded.  The  others,  even 
after  the  fall  of  their  leader,  dashed  on  in  pursuit  and  put  the 
mob  to  flight.  The  prisoners  were  rescued,  but  one  of  them 
was  shot  by  the  mob  during  the  engagement.  From  them  it 
was  learned  that  Bogart  had  commanded  the  marauders  and 
that  his  forces  had  been  greater  than  those  of  the  attacking 
party. 

When  the  affray  was  over,  David  W.  Patten — still  alive 
but  gasping  in  mortal  extremity,  was  lifted  up  by  his  brethren 
and  they  carried  him  tenderly  to  his  home. 

A  courier  brought  the  news  to  Far  West,  and  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  went  out  to  meet  the  sorrowful  cavalcade.  Several 
were  with  Apostle  Patten  when  he  died  that  night,  in  the 


25:2  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

triumph  of  the  faith.  He  had  fulfilled  his  covenant  to  yield 
life  rather  than  to  yield  the  right.  As  he  was  departing,  he 
spoke  with  holy  exultation  of  the  eternity  opening  to  his  view, 
and  with  sorrow  of  those  traitorous  Apostles  and  Elders  who 
had  forsaken  the  Saints  to  save  their  own  lives  and  property. 
One  of  his  last  expressions  to  his  wife  was : 

"WHATEVER  YOU  DO  ELSE,  OH,  DO  NOT  DENY  THE  FAITH!" 
Thus  perished  the  first  apostolic  martyr  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  in  this  dispensation.      How  much  better  his  fate  than 
that  of  the  Judases  who  helped  to   bring  him  to  his   death ! 
At  the  funeral,  Joseph  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  assem- 
blage and,  pointing  at  the  noble  form  marred  by  an  assassin 
bullet,  testified : 

"  There  lies  a  man  who  has  fulfilled  his  word ;    he  has 
laid  down  his  life  for  his  friends." 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

BOGGS  ISSUES  AX  ORDER  OF  EXTERMINATION  -  GENERAL  ATCHISON's 
THREAT  AGAINST  THE  TYRANT  —  AVARD  ORGANIZES  THE  DAN- 
ITES  —  THE  HAUN'S  MILL  MASSACRE  -  FAR  WEST  BESIEGED  — 
THREE  NOBLE  ONES  REFUSE  TO  DESERT  THEIR  FRIENDS  —  COL- 


JOSEPH  AND  HIS  COMPANIONS  TO  DEATH  -  GENERAL  DONIPHAN'S 
NOBLE    ACTION  -  DEMONIAC    DEEDS    ENACTED     IN     FAR     WEST. 

ON  the  day  of  the  martyr  Patten's  funeral  at  Far  West,  Lil- 
burn  W.  Boggs  issued  to  General  John  B.  Clark  an  order  of 
extermination  against  the  Saints.  His  words  were  : 

"  The  Mormons  must  be  treated  as  enemies,  and  must  be 
exterminated  or  driven  from  the  state,  if  necessary,  for  the 
public  good.  Their  outrages  are  beyond  all  description." 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

The  excuse  of  this  tyrant  was  the  encounter  between  tin- 
militia,  sent  out  by  Colonel  Hinkle  under  judicial  endorse- 
ment, with  Bogart's  mobbers.  How  quickly  Boggs  could 
respond  when  any  of  his  assassins  were  checked  in  their 
career  of  massacre  and  plunder !  Before  making  his  order  of 
extermination  he  had  already  directed  two  thousand  troops  to 
be  raised;  and  in  his  edict  of  death,  entrusted  to  General 
Clark,  he  authorized  any  desired  increase  of  forces.  He  also 
directed  Major-General  Wallock  and  General  Doniphan,  with 
one  thousand  men,  to  intercept  the  retreat  of  the  Saints  should 
they  attempt  one,  by  this  act  proving  that  the  Saints  were  not 
to  be  permitted  to  leave  the  state  and  that  his  order  of  exter- 
mination was  intended  to  be  construed  absolutely  and  without 
alternative.  He  had  taken  the  command  from  General  Atchi- 
son  and  given  it  to  General  Clark  because  the  latter  was  more 
suitable  to  his  purpose,  since  he  feared  that  Atchison  might 
have  some  qualms  of  conscience.  Incensed  at  this  official 
slight,  at  a  later  time  General  Atchison  declared  in  a  public 
speech : 

"If  the  Governor  does  not  restore  my  commission  to  me, 
I  will  kill  him,  so  help  me  God!" 

To  make  some  show  of  palliation  for  his  unparalleled  act 
of  atrocity,  Boggs  published  the  most  infamous  lies  concern- 
ing the  doings  and  intentions  of  the  "  Mormons,"  making  it 
appear  that  they,  a  little  handful  of  poverty-stricken  exiles, 
were  about  to  flood  the  state  with  a  ruinous  war.  His  stories 
were  full  of  tragedy  and  bombast.  They  would  have  been  too 
ridiculous  to  be  believed  for  an  instant,  but  that  the  infuriate 
element  for  whose  incitement  they  were  addressed,  were  eager 
as  he  to  plunge  the  knife  into  the  heart  of  innocence. 

All  the  vile  characters  in  that  section  of  the  country  soon 
flocked  to  the  mob-organizations.  The  most  diabolical  com- 
binations were  formed;  one  of  the  worst  being  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Sampson  Avard,  one  of  the  apostate  spirits 
who  formed  a  band  which  he  called  Danites,  to  aid  him  in 
purposes  of  plunder  and  murder  which  he  intended  to  attribute 
to  the  Church  and  thus  furnish  an  excuse  for  the  attacks  upon 
his  former  brethren.  But  his  plot  was  discovered  by  the 


-54  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Prophet;  and  Avard  was  publicly  excommunicated  so  that  the 
world  might  know  that  the  Church  had  no  part  in  his  infamy. 
His  plan  was  by  this  prompt  action  defeated  almost  before  it 
had  birth. 

By  the  26th  of  October  twenty-five  hundred  of  the  mob- 
militia  had  congregated  at  Richmond;  and  from  there  they 
took  up  their  march  for  Far  West,  robbing,  plundering,  shoot- 
ing-and  threatening  ravishment  by  the  way.  It  was  such  rare 
sport,  this  outrage  of  the  innocents,  that  it  drew  an  overwhelm- 
ing force  to  execute  the  ghastly  order  of  Boggs,  the  execu- 
tioner at  wholesale. 

The  executive  decree  of  massacre  fell  like  music  upon  the 
ears  of  the  wicked  mob.  On  Tuesday,  the  30th  of  October, 
1838,  a  party  of  two  hundred  and  forty  of  them  fell  upon  a 
few  families  of  Saints  at  Haun's  Mill  on  Shoal  Creek  and 
butchered  them.  The  awiul  particulars  of  that  deed  must  be 
left,  with  many  others  of  like  character,  for  another  publica- 
tion now  in  course  of  preparation;  since  the  scope  of  this  vol- 
ume will  not  permit  of  more  than  a  general  view  of  events, 
however  important,  in  which  the  Prophet  had  no  personal 
part.  But  one  or  two  circumstances  of  that  atrocious  deed 
can  be  detailed  to  show  the  unquenchable  thirst  for  blood  of 
Boggs'  emissaries:  Among  the  Saints  at  Haun's  Mill  was  one 
old  man  named  McBride  who  had  fought  for  independence 
under  General  Washington.  This  veteran  patriot  the  mob 
seized  and  shot  with  his  own  guri;  then  they  slashed  him  to 
pieces  with  a  corn  cutter.  Stalwart  Missourians  slew  and 
mutilated  little  children  and  afterwards  boasted  of  their  deeds. 
They  even  robbed  the  dead. 

On  the  30th  day  of  October  the  mob  army  beleaguered 
Far  West.  Their  ranks  were  constantly  augmented,  and  dur- 
ing the  ensuing  week  six  thousand  demoniac  men  had  taken 
part  against  that  city. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  siege,  a  messenger  was  sent  into 
the  town  to  demand  three  persons  to  whom  amnesty  was  to 
be  accorded,  as  the  mob  declared  their  intention  to  massacre 
all  the  rest  of  the  people  and  lay  Far  West  in  ashes.  Adam 
Lightner,  John  Cleminson  and  wife  were  these  three  persons. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

When  the  messenger  offered  them  the  chance  for  life,  they 
responded : 

"If  the  people  must  be  destroyed,  we  will  die  with  them." 

Elder  Charles  C.  Rich  was  sent  out,  bearing  a  flag  of  truce, 
to  hold  a  conference  with  General  Doniphan  and  others;  but 
when  he  approached  the  camp  of  the  besiegers,  Bogart,  the 
Methodist  preacher,  fired  upon  him. 

The  defenders  of  the  city  threw  up  a  temporary  fortifica- 
tion of  wagons  and  timber  on  the  south,  for  they  were  in 
hourly  expectation  of  the  attack. 

About  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  the 
31st  day  of  October,  a  white  flag  approached  the  city  from 
the  camp  of  the  mobbers. 

Colonel  George  M.  Hinkle  went  out  to  meet  it  and  accom- 
panied it  back  to  the  camp.  What  he  did  there  ought  to  have 
made  even  a  Judas  blush.  He  returned  at  evening  and  said  to 
Joseph  that  hope  had  arisen  for  the  settlement  of  the  difficulties, 
and  that  the  presence  of  the  Prophet  and  some  of  his  leading 
friends  was  desired  by  the  officers  of  the  militia.  Hinkle  pledged 
his  own  honor  and  that  of  the  besieging  generals  that  no 
harm  was  intended  or  would  be  permitted  against  the 
brethren. 

Always  ready  to  meet  personal  danger  in  a  just  cause,  the 
Prophet  complied,  and  was  joined  by  the  men  whom  Hinkle 
designated:  Sidney  Rigdon,  Parley  P.Pratt,  Ly  man  Wight 
and  George  W.  Robinson.  Led  by  Colonel  Hinkle  they  pro- 
ceeded toward  the  camp  and  were  met  by  General  Lucas  with 
one  piece  of  artillery  and  the  whole  army  at  his  heels.  At 
this  moment  Hinkle  earned  his  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  for  he 
said: 

"  These  are  the  prisoners  I  agreed  to  deliver  up." 

Lucas  brandished  his  sword  and  ordered  his  men  to  sur- 
round the  Prophet  and  his  companions.  A  fierce  and  exulting 
yell  burst  from  the  throats  of  the  mob,  and  horrid  blasphemies 
poured  from  them  in  torrents.  They  would  not  wait  for  an 
order  to  butcher  before  assailing  the  Prophet,  so  eager  were 
they  to  take  his  life;  and  several  of  them  snapped  their  guns 


251)  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

at  him,  but  he  was  spared.  Arrived  at  the  camp,  the  prisoners 
were  placed  in  charge  of  a  strong  guard  of  obscene  and  blas- 
phemous wretches,  who  hour  after  hour  profaned  the  name  of 
God,  mocked  at  Jesus  Christ  and  boasted  of  having  defiled 
virgins  and  wives  by  force.  They  demanded  a  miracle  from 
Joseph,  saying: 

"  There  is  one  of  your  brethren  here  in  camp  whom  we 
took  prisoner  yesterday  in  his  own  house,  and  knocked  his 
brains  out  with  his  own  rifle,  which  we  found  hanging  over 
his  own  mantel;  he  lies  speechless  and  dying;  speak  the  word 
and  heal  him,  and  then  we  will  all  believe." 

Among  the  people  who  came  to  gloat  over  them  was  Wil- 
liam E.  McLellin,  the  apostate.  He  taunted  them  with  their 
impending  fate,  declaring  that  there  was  no  hope  for  them. 

When  the  news  reached  Far  West  the  people  were 
appalled.  They  had  feared  for  Joseph  and  his  brethren, 
because  they  knew  that  to  go  out  was  to  enter  the  lair  of  a 
monster;  and  now  they  felt  that  their  worst  fears  were  con- 
firmed. 

That  night  the  Prophet  and  his  friends  lay  upon  the  wet 
ground,  chilled  by  the  rains  of  dawning  November  and  subject 
to  the  most  cruel  and  exasperating  insults.  The  next  morning 
Hyrum  Smith  and  Amasa  M.  Lyman  were  dragged  from  their 
families  in  Far  West  and  brought  as  prisoners  into  the  camp. 

On  the  evening  of  November  1st,  1838,  Lucas  convened  a 
court  martial,  over  which  he  presided.  It  was  composed  of  sev- 
enteen preachers  and  some  of  the  principal  officers  in  the  mob 
army.  Its  purpose  was  to  put  the  Prophet  and  his  friends  on 
trial  for  their  lives,  but  not  one  of  them  was  permitted  to  be 
present  during  any  part  of  its  deliberations.  A  few  moments 
were  sufficient  for  the  promulgation  of  its  edict,  since  no  testi- 
mony was  to  be  heard  and  no  pleas  admitted.  The  sentence 
was  that  Joseph  and*  his  companions  should  be  shot  at  eight 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  November  2nd,  1838,  on  the  public 
square  at  Far  West  in  the  presence  of  their  helpless  wives  and 
little  children. 

When  the  sentence  was  passed,  General  Doniphan  said : 

"I  wash  my  hands  of  this  thing;  it  is  murder!" 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  257 

Then  he  ordered  his  brigade  of  troops  off  the  ground, 
for  he  would  not  permit  them  to  take  part  in  the  assassination. 
General  Graham  also  resisted  the  sentence  with  honor  and 
manliness. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  court-martial  the  Prophet 
demanded  from  General  Wilson  the  reason  why  he  should  be 
shot,  since  he  had  always  been  a  supporter  of  the  constitution 
and  the  government  of  his  country.  Wilson's  answer  was: 

"I  know  it,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  I  want  to 
kill  you." 

It  was  an  absurdity  to  try  by  court  martial,  even  if  that 
body  had  been  a  legal  and  just  tribunal,  a  man  who  had  not 
borne  arms  nor  engaged  in  warfare  nor  committed  any  overt 
act,  Joseph  was  a  licensed  minister  of  the  gospel,  not  a 
soldier.  He  belonged  to  the  class  recognized  always  and 
everywhere  as  non-combatant.  Probably  this  was  the  reason 
why  Lucas  had  seventeen  preachers  as  members  of  the  court,  to 
give  the  proceedings  an  ecclesiastical  air. 

On  this  same  day,  November  1st,  1838,  Lucas  required 
the  Caldwell  militia  to  give  up  their  arms.  They  only  num- 
bered five  hundred  men,  all  told;  while  the  mob  army  num- 
bered thousands.  But  the  diabolical  purpose  which  they  had 
in  view  made  it  desirable  to  the  attacking  horde  that  no  one 
in  the  city  should  have  any  power  of  resistance  remaining. 
Lucas  gave  color  to  his  demand  by  the  fact  that  Hinkle,  the 
betrayer,  who  had  commanded  the  forces  in  Far  West,  had 
made  a  treaty  by  which  the  disarmament  of  the  Caldwell  mil- 
itia was  conceded. 

The  brethren  were  all  marched  out  of  the  town  and  their 
weapons  taken  from  them.  Then  gangs  of  miscreants  were 
turned  loose  in  Far  West  to  work  their  will.  They  rushed 
through  the  streets  like  wolves,  tearing  and  devouring  what- 
ever came  in  their  way.  Such  deeds  were  done  that  day  as 
would  make  a  savage  hang  his  head  in  shame.  Property  was 
seized  and  carried  away  without  a  pretext;  houses  were  fired; 
the  sick  and  the  infantile  were  insulted  and  abused  ;  the  men 
were  secured  as  prisoners;  and  women  were  outraged  in  sight 
of  their  helpless  husbands  and  fathers. 


258  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

The  Prophet's  house  was  singled  out  for  a  special  attack; 
his  family  was  driven  out  and  all  his  property  seized  or 
destroyed. 

The  brethren  who  possessed  real  estate  were  brought 
before  Lucas,  and  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  were  compelled 
to  sign  deeds  of  trust  of  all  their  possessions  to  pay  the 
expenses  of  the  mob. 

A  more  appalling  instance  of  cruelty  history  does  not 
record.  An  innocent  people  are  ordered  exterminated.  But 
before  proceeding  to  the  final  act  of  massacre  the  immolators 
demand  their  pay  in  advance  from  the  victims. 

It  was  an  awful  night  at  Far  West;  but  more  awful  it 
was  feared  the  morrow  would  be,  for  the  sentence  of  death 
pronounced  upon  the  Prophet  and  his  fellow-captives  was 
promised  to  be  executed  at  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning. 


CHAPTER   XL. 

THE  PROPHET'S  LIFE  SAVED  BY  THE  VANITY  or  LUCAS — FAREWELL 
OF  THE  PRISONERS  TO  THEIR  FAMILIES ON  TOWARD  INDE- 
PENDENCE  CONTINUED  RAVAGES  AT  FAR  WEST GENERAL 

CLARK'S  INHUMAN  ADDRESS — THE  MOVEMENT  AGAINST  ADAM- 

ONDI-AHMAN. 

ON  the  morning  of  Friday,  November  2nd,  1838,  in  pursuance 
of  the  sentence  of  the  secret  tribunal  of  preachers  and  mobo- 
crats — misnamed,  a  court  martial — the  Prophet  and  his  fellow- 
prisoners  were  marched  into  the  public  square  at  Far  West. 
But  the  brutal  murder  which  had  been  decreed,  did  not  take 
place.  The  failure  of  Lucas  to  enforce  that  part  of  the  sen- 
tence was  due  in  part  to  the  manly  rebellion  of  Generals  Dorii- 
phan  and  Graham,  and  in  part  to  his  own  wish  to  drag  the 
Prophet  and  his  brethren  through  the  country  and  exhibit 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  259 

them  as  his  captives.  General  Clark  was  expected  immedi- 
ately at  Far  West.  He  wanted  the  prisoners  delivered  to  him ; 
and  jealousy  worked  in  the  mind  of  Lucas.  It  was  esteemed 
a  high  honor  to  hold  Joseph  Smith  in  captivity;  and  Lucas 
was  determined  not  to  share  this  glorious  trophy  of  war  with 
another.  What  the  tears  of  women  and  children,  the  inno- 
cence of  men,  and  a  sense  of  justice  could  not  accomplish  in 
this  bad  man's  mind,  was  easily  achieved  by  the  base  motives 
of  envy  and  vanity.  He  wanted  to  be  recognized  as  a  victori- 
ous general,  and  the  presence  of  the  captives  would  add  to 
the  pageantry  of  his  march.  If  greater  notoriety  could  have 
been  achieved  or  greater  admiration  for  his  prowess  secured 
by  the  murder  of  these  men  at  Far  West,  he  would  not  have 
stayed  his  hand.  It  was  an  opportunity  of  a  lifetime  for  a 
militia  leader  to  cover  himself  with  the  dishonors  of  war. 
Less  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  from  that  time,  the  state  of 
Missouri  and  all  its  citizens  had  ample  occasion  to  deal  with 
real  enemies  and  to  view  in  every  city  and  village,  and  every 
field  and  every  forest,  and  in  every  home  the  misery  of  fratri- 
cidal strife.  Men  who  had  thirsted  for  blood  were  given  more 
than  a  glut  of  it,  for  hundreds  of  them  weltered  in  their  own 
gore. 

Lucas  prepared  to  continue  his  triumphal  march,  intend- 
ing to  take  the  brethren  to  Jackson  County  and  expose  them 
as  captives  at  Independence.  Before  they  left  they  begged  to 
be  permitted  to  bid  their  families  farewell.  This  boon,  so 
estimable  to  them  and  so  trifling  to  the  mob,  was  ostensibly 
granted,  but  under  conditions  which  showed  an  inhuman 
desire  to  torture.  Every  prisoner  was  permitted  under  a 
strong  guard  to  seek  out  his  beloved  ones,  but  was  forbidden  to 
speak  to  them.  He  might  gaze  on  them  with  tearful  eyes  and 
wave  them  farewell,  a  long  farewell — forever,  if  he  would; 
but  no  word  from  his  lips  might  fall  as  balm  upon  their  bruised 
spirits. 

Hyrum,  the  Prophet's  beloved  brother,  who  was  never 
very  far  away  from  Joseph,  was  one  of  the  captives.  Hyrum's 
young  wife  Mary — for  he  was  again  a  husband — was  pros- 
trated with  suffering.  When  he  was  dragged  before  her  by 


260  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

his  armed  captors  he  would  have  solaced  her  agony  with  a  few 
words  of  comfort  and  cheer.  He  wanted  to  bid  her  look  up 
and  trust  in  God;  but  the  mob  soldiers  threatened  to  kill  him 
at  her  feet  if  he  breathed  a  syllable,  and  to  spare  her  tortured 
soul  this  awful  pang  he  held  his  peace.  Mary  saw  her  hus- 
band carried  from  her,  perhaps  to  death;  she  gathered  the 
motherless  little  children  of  Jerusha  about  her  and  sought  to 
comfort  them.  She  did  not  see  her  noble  husband  again  until 
after  she  had  passed  through  the  trial  and  pain  of  maternity; 
for  her  son  Joseph  Fielding  Smith  was  born  eleven  days  after, 
and  while  his  father  was  still  a  captive  in  the  hands  of  the 
mob. 

To  moan  and  weep  over  the  captive  Prophet  came  his  wife 
and  babes,  and  his  aged  father  and  mother.  He  had  begged 
to  have  a  moment  in  which  to  comfort  his  wife,  for  she  was 
utterly  overpowered  with  fear  for  his  life.  He  wanted  to  reas- 
sure her  that  the  sentence  of  death  was  not  to  be  executed 
that  morning,  and  to  promise  her  that  they  should  meet  again 
in  this  life.  But  the  mob  guards  with  their  swords  rudely 
thrust  his  wife  and  little  ones  away  from  Joseph's  side  and 
threatened  to  kill  him  if  he  should  speak. 

Joseph  gazed  upon  the  overwhelming  scene  at  Far  West 
as  he  was  being  marched  forth  a  captive.  He  commended  the 
city  and  its  people  to  the  care  of  that  God  whose  kindness  had 
always  followed  them  into  the  dark  valley  of  tribulation,  and 
who  alone  could  protect  them  from  death  and  defilement. 

That  night  the  Prophet  with  Hyrum  Smith,  Sidney 
Bigdon,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Lyman  Wight,  Amasa  M.  Lyman 
and  George  W.  Robinson  were  started  for  Independence. 
Under  a  strong  guard,  commanded  by  Generals  Lucas  and 
Wilson,  they  camped  at  night  on  Crooked  River. 

A  vision  of  hope  and  security  came  to  Joseph  that  night, 
and  when  he  arose  in  the  morning  he  spoke  to  his  brethren  in 
a  low  and  cheerful  tone,  saying: 

"Be  of  good  cheer,  my  brethren.  The  word  of  the  Lord 
came  to  me  last  night  that  our  lives  should  be  given  us;  and 
that  whatever  else  we  might  suffer  during  this  captivity,  not 
one  of  us  should  die." 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  261 

An  express  from  General  Clark  demanding  the  august 
prisoners  reached  Lucas  at  this  point.  This  commanding 
general  had  so  far  achieved  little,  the  triumphs  of  the  cruel 
contest  being  with  his  subordinates.  He  was  therefore  deter- 
mined that  the  prisoners  should  be  dragged  at  his  chariot 
wheels  and  that  their  slaughter  should  be  under  his  personal 
direction,  to  showBoggs  and  the  populace  that  he  was  worthy 
of  the  truculent  enterprise  entrusted  to  him.  But  Lucas  was 
no  less  determined  that,  having  won  the  victory,  he  himself 
should  enjoy  the  spoils  and  the  plaudits;  and  with  all  possible 
speed  he  hastened  forward  with  the  captives. 

Leaving  the  Prophet  and  his  companions  advancing 
toward  their  unknown  fate,  we  must  return  with  their  anxious 
thoughts  to  the  proceedings  at  Far  West;  as  General  Clark 
was  marching  upon  that  place,  and  the  prisoners  feared  for 
their  unprotected  families. 

Lucas  had  sent  several  companies  of  the  mob  militia 
including  Neal  Gilliam's  band  of  painted  wretches  under 
General  Parks  to  Adam-ondi-Ahman  with  instructions  to  dis- 
arm the  militia  at  that  place  and  to  take  prisoners.  By  his 
orders  also  a  large  body  of  troops  had  been  left  to  guard  some 
eighty  brethren  held  captive  at  Far  West. 

General  Clark  did  not  arrive  at  the  beleaguered  city  until 
the  4th  of  November,  1838 ;  but  on  that  day  he  came  at  the 
head  of  two  thousand  troops.  In  the  interval  of  two  days  the 
people  in  the  town  had  been  subjected  to  every  possible 
indignity.  Apostates  prowled  through  the  streets  pointing  out 
to  the  mob  all  the  men  of  influence  or  station  in  the  Church 
and  aiding  to  put  them  in  irons.  At  first  it  had  been  ordered 
that  all  who  were  not  held  as  prisoners  should  flee  the  city  on 
the  instant.  But  finally  the  mob  concluded  to  keep  the 
people  within  the  town  until  General  Clark's  arrival. 

It  was  a  joy  to  the  sectarian  ministers  of  the  neighbor- 
hood to  see  this  work  of  ruin ;  and  many  of  them  visited  Far 
West  to  exult  over  the  prisoners  and  their  suffering  families. 

Many  privations  and  tortures  were  endured.  The  captives 
were  kept  without  food  until  they  were  on  the  verge  of  starva- 
tion. The  mob  continued  their  work  of  ruin,  hunting  and 


262  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

shooting  human  beings  like  wild  beasts;  and  ravishing  and 
murdering  women. 

Upon  Clark's  arrival  at  Far  West  he  selected  fifty-six  ot 
the  leading  men  and  held  them  under  a  strong  guard  for  trial, 
for  what  offence  neither  he  nor  they  could  tell.  He  also  sent 
a  messenger  to  the  commander  of  the  troops  advancing  to 
assault  Adam-ondi-Ahman,  requiring  him  to  take  all  of  the 
"Mormons"  prisoners  and  to  secure  all  their  property  to  pay 
the  damages  of  other  citizens. 

On  the  6th  day  of  November,  1838,  Clark  assembled  the 
people  and  delivered  an  address  to  them  as  follows : 

"  GENTLEMEN: 

"  You  whose  names  are  not  attached.to  this  list 
of  names,  will  now  have  the  privilege  of  going  to  your  fields, 
and  of  providing  corn,  wood,  etc.,  for  your  families.  Those 
who  are  now  taken  will  go  from  this  to  prison,  be  tried  and 
receive  the  due  demerit  of  their  crimes;  but  you  (except  such 
as  charges  may  hereafter  be  preferred  against),  are  at  liberty, 
as  soon  as  the  troops  are  removed  that  now  guard  the  place, 
which  I  shall  cause  to  be  done  immediately. 

"  It  now  devolves  upon  you  to  fulfill,  a  treaty  that  you  have 
entered  into,  the  leading  items  of  which  I  shall  now  lay  before 
you.  The  first  requires  that  your  leading  men  be  given  up 
to  be  tried  according  to  law;  this  you  already  have  com- 
plied with.  The  second  is,  that  you  deliver  up  your  arms; 
this  has  been  attended  to.  The  third  stipulation  is  that  you 
sign  over  your  properties  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  war. 
This  you  have  also  done.  Another  article  yet  remains  for  you 
to  comply  with, — and  that  is,  that  you  leave  the  state  forth- 
with. And  whatever  may  be  your  feelings  concerning  this, 
or  whatever  your  innocence,  it  is  nothing  to  me.  General 
Lucas  (whose  military  rank  is  equal  with  mine),  has  made  this 
treaty  with  you;  I  approve  of  it.  I  should  have  done  the 
same  had  I  been  here.  I  am  therefore  determined  to  see 
it  executed. 

"  The  character  of  this  state  has  suffered  almost  beyond  redemp- 
tion, from  the  character,  conduct  and  influence  that  you  have 
exerted;  and  we  deem  it  an  act  of  justice  to  restore  her 
character  to  its  former  standing  among  the  states  by  every 
proper  means.  The  orders  of  the  Governor  to  me  were,  that  you 
should  be  exterminated,  and  not  allowed  to  remain  in  the  state. 
And  had  not  your  leaders  been  given  up,  and  the  terms  of  the  treaty 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  263 

complied  with  before  this  time  you  and  your  families  would  have 
been  destroyed,  and  your  houses  in  ashes. 

"There  is  a  discretionary  power  vested  in  my  hands, 
which,  considering  your  circumstances,  I  shall  exercise  for  a 
season.  You  are  indebted  to  me  for  this  clemency.  I  do  not 
say  that  you  shall  go  now,  but  you  must  not  think  of  staying 
here  another  season  or  of  putting  in  crops ;  for  the  moment 
you  do  this  the  citizens  will  be  upon  you;  and  if  I  am  called 
here  again  in  case  of  a  non-compliance  of  a  treaty  made,  do 
not  think  that  I  shall  do  as  I  have  done  now.  You  need  not 
expect  any  mercy,  but  extermination,  for  I  am  determined  the 
Governor's  order  shall  be  executed. 

44  As  for  your  leaders,  do  not  think,  do  not  imagine  for  a 
moment,  do  not  let  it  enter  into  your  minds,  that  they  will  be  delivered 
and  restored  to  you  again,  for  their  fate  is  fixed,  their  die  is  cast, 
their  doom  is  sealed. 

"I  am  sorry,  gentlemen,  to  see  so  many  apparently  intelli- 
gent men  found  in  the  situation  that  you  are;  and  Oh!  if  I 
could  invoke  that  Great  Spirit,  THE  UNKNOWN  GOD  to 
rest  upon  and  deliver  you  from  that  awful  chain  of  superstition, 
and  liberate  you  from  those  fetters  of  fanaticism  with  which 
you  are  bound — that  you  no  longer  do  homage  to  a  man. 

"  I  would  advise  you  to  scatter  abroad,  and  never  again 
organize  yourselves  with  Bishops,  Presidents,  etc.,  lest  you 
excite  the  jealousies  of  the  people  and  subject  yourselves  to 
the  same  calamities  that  have  now  come  upon  you.  You  have 
always  been  the  aggressors — you  have  brought  upon  yourselves 
these  difficulties,  by  being  disaffected,  and  not  being  subject  to 
rule.  And  my  advice  is,  that  you  become  as  other  citizens, 
lest  by  a  recurrence  of  these  events  you  bring  upon  yourselves 
irretrievable  ruin." 

The  prisoners  whom  he  had  taken  were  sent  by  him  to 
Richmond,  in  Eay  County,  for  trial. 

About  this  same  time  Boggs  wrote  a  letter  requiring 
Clark  to  finish  the  awful  work  which  had  been  begun.  He 
directed  a  movement  against  the  Saints  at  Adam-ondi-Ahman 
and  said: 

"My  instructions  to  you  are  to  settle  this  whole  matter 
completely,  if  possible,  before  you  disband  your  forces." 

To  fulfill  this  edict,  Clark  ordered  General  Wilson  with 
his  brigade  to  Adam-ondi-Ahman,  although  there  were 
enough  mob  troops  already  there  to  furnish  a  special  guard 


264  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

and  a  special  executioner  for  every  man,  woman  and  child  in 
the  place.  On  the  8th  of  November  a  cordon  was  drawn 
about  Adam-ondi-Ahman.  A  court  of  inquiry  was  instituted 
with  the  notorious  Adam  Black  on  the  bench,  and  with  a  man 
from  General  Clark's  army  as  prosecuting  attorney.  Not  a 
thing  could  be  proved  against  any  of  the  brethren,  except  that 
they  had  been  long-suffering  victims  of  senseless  hate,  and 
they  were  acquitted;  but  not  until  a  military  order  was  pre- 
pared requiring  them,  one  and  all,  to  vacate  the  place  in  ten 
days  and  to  be  outside  of  the  state  as  early  as  the  next  spring 
or  to  be  exterminated. 


CHAPTER    XLL 

JOSEPH    PREACHES  IN  JACKSON    AND    FULFILLS    HIS    OWN    PROPHECY 

FAVOR    IN    THE  EYES  OF  THEIR  CAPTORS DRUNKEN  GUARDS 

IN        RICHMOND        JAIL MAJESTY       IN       CHAINS CLARK'S 

DILEMMA THE      MOCK      TRIAL TREASON      TO      BELIEVE      THE 

BIBLE CLOSE    OF    THE    YEAR    1838. 

EARLY  in  the  year  1838,  while  it  was  more  than  his  life  was 
worth  for  any  Saint  to  penetrate  Jackson  County,  the  Prophet 
made  a  public  prophecy  that  some  one  of  the  Elders  would 
preach  a  sermon  there  before  the  close  of  the  ensuing 
December. 

Lucas  crossed  the  ferry  of  the  Missouri  River  from  Clay 
into  Jackson  County  with  his  prisoners  on  the  night  of  Sat- 
urday, the  3rd  of  November,  1838.  His  march  had  been 
made  with  great  expedition,  because  he  feared  to  be  overtaken 
by  a  further  demand  from  his  superior  officer  for  the  captives. 

The  next  morning  was  the  Sabbath;  and  the  people  along 
the  road  came  out  in  their  best  attire  to  view  the  "  Mormon" 
Prophet,  for  the  news  had  preceded  his  advent,  and  the 
whole  country  was  aroused.  While  they  were  yet  in  camp  on 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  265 

that  morning  a  number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  visited  them ; 
and  one  woman  inquired  of  the  guards,  "  Which  of  the  cap- 
tives is  the  Lord  worshipped  by  the  Mormons?" 

The  mobocrat  pointed  to  Joseph  with  a  significant  smile 
and  said,  "  That  is  he."  After  gazing  upon  the  Prophet  for 
a  moment  the  lady  candidly  asked  whether  he  professed  to  be 
the  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ.  Joseph  answered : 

"  I  am  only  a  man,  a  humble  minister  of  salvation  sent 
by  the  Redeemer  to  preach  His  gospel." 

Astounded  at  this  reply,  so  different  from  what  she  had 
been  led  to  expect,  the  lady  pressed  question  after  question 
upon  the  Prophet.  As  he  responded  many  listeners  gathered 
around,  including  a  company  of  the  wondering  soldiers;  and 
there  on  that  Sabbath  morning,  with  hundreds  of  spectators 
and  his  captors  for  a  congregation,  the  Prophet  preached  as 
impressive  a  discourse  as  ever  before  in  his  life.  He  set  forth 
the  doctrines  of  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  repentance,  baptism  for 
the  remission  of  sin,  with  a  promise  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost — as  recorded  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  And  by  this 
sermon  was  his  own  prophecy  fulfilled. 

His  listeners  were  filled  with  strange  emotions;  this  man 
spoke  as  no  other  had  ever  talked  in  their  hearing.  The 
woman  who  had  first  asked  to  see  the  Prophet  was  wrought 
upon  by  a  spirit  of  conviction.  When  Joseph  finished  his 
remarks,  she  arose  and  praised  God  in  solemn  tones,  and  she 
went  away  praying  that  the  Lord  would  protect  and  deliver 
His  servants. 

At  ten  o'clock  of  that  Sunday  morning,  the  entire  brigade 
having  crossed  the  river,  the  march  was  resumed.  As  they 
passed  along  the  road  hundreds  of  people  flocked  to  see  them, 
and  General  Wilson  often  halted  the  cavalcade  to  introduce 
his  prisoners  to  the  populace,  pointing  out  each  one  of  the 
captives  by  name.  A  few  hours  later  the  prisoners  entered 
Independence  surrounded  by  the  exultant  troops,  who  blew 
every  instant  triumphant  blasts  upon  their  bugles  to  arouse  the 
inhabitants  into  a  frenzy  of  joy.  Eain  was  falling  in  torrents, 
but  it  could  not  extinguish  the  blazing  hate  and  exultation  of 
the  mob  as  they  paraded  the  Prophet  through  the  streets  of 


266  JOSEPH     THE     PEOPHET. 

the  city  whence  his  brethren  had  been  once  driven  from  homes 
and  growing  wealth. 

But  soon  after  their  arrival  a  reaction  of  feeling  set  in, 
and  the  prisoners  began  to  be  treated  with  some  show  of  com- 
passion. It  is  true  they  were  badly  lodged,  closely  guarded 
and  exhibited  every  day  as  a  victorious  Roman  general  might 
have  exhibited  his  captive  kings;  but  they  were  fed,  partly 
shielded  from  the  severity  of  the  season  and  were  permitted  to 
plead  their  cause  and  proclaim  their  belief  to  any  interested 
listener. 

The  effect  of  their  situation  and  their  teachings  was  most 
amazing.  Here  in  this  region  where  they  had  once  met  cruelty 
in  its  direst  shape  and  whither  they  had  been  brought  in  hourly 
peril  of  their  lives,  they  awakened  feelings  of  pity,  respect 
and  personal  regard. 

They  were  permitted  occasionally  to  walk  out  in  charge  of 
a  guard;  and  then  they  visited  the  spot  dedicated  for  a  temple, 
which  had  been  denuded  of  its  noble  forests  and  now  lay  deso- 
late, and  also  the  place  where  had  once  stood  the  dwellings  of 
the  Saints,  but  not  a  vestige  of  these  habitations  remained,  for 
they  had  been  consumed  by  fire  or  carried  away  by  plunderers. 

After  four  days'  imprisonment  at  Independence,  and  after 
repeated  demands  from  Clark  for  their  persons,  it  was  decided 
to  send  them  to  Richmond,  Ray  County;  but  the  officers,  now 
become  somewhat  friendly,  could  not  give  them  any  light  con- 
cerning the  charges  to  be  made  against  them.  It  was  agreed 
that  they  were  not  to  be  tried  by  civil  process,  because  none 
had  been  served  upon  them;  it  was  also  agreed  that  they 
could  not  be  tried  by  court  martial  since  they  were  civilians — 
amenable  to  civil  law;  martial  law  had  not  been  declared,  and 
they  had  not  committed  any  military  offence. 

It  was  extremely  difficult  to  secure  guards  to  accompany 
the  brethren  to  Richmond.  None  would  volunteer,  and  when 
drafted  from  the  ranks  they  refused  to  obey  orders.  The  sol- 
diers, impressed  by  the  personality  of  the  captives,  and  wrought 
upon  by  the  spirit  of  mercy,  wished  the  brethren  to  go  at  lib- 
erty. Hundreds  of  the  men  who  had  fought  against  them 
with  bitterness  now  entertained  for  them  the  kindest  feelings ;. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  267 

and,  besides,  both  officers  and  troops  disliked  to  see  General 
Clark  secure  the  triumph  so  ardently  desired  by  him.  The 
view  entertained  by  Lucas  was  shared  by  his  officers  and  men 
and  was  stated  to  the  brethren  by  General  Wilson  in  the  fol- 
lowing words  : 

"It  was  repeatedly  insinuated,  by  the  other  officers  and 
troops,  that  we  should  hang  you  prisoners  on  the  first  tree  we 
came  to  on  the  way  to  Independence.  But  I'll  be  darnn'd  if 
anybody  shall  hurt  you.  We  just  intend  to  exhibit  you  in 
Independence,  let  the  people  look  at  you,  and  see  what  a 
damn'd  set  of  fine  fellows  you  are.  And,  more  particularly, 
to  keep  you  from  that  G— d  damn'd  old  bigot  of  a  General 
Clark  and  his  troops,  from  down  country,  who  are  so  stuffed 
with  lies  and  prejudice  that  they  would  shoot  you  down  in  a 
moment." 

Finally  three  men  consented  to  escort  the  prisoners  to 
Richmond,  and  on  the  morning  of  Thursday,  the  8th  day  of 
November,  1838,  they  started  on  their  journey.  What  a  reflec- 
tion it  is  upon  the  doings  of  that  time  that  the  officers  in 
charge  of  these  captives  would  entrust  seven  of  them  to  three 
guards !  Joseph  and  his  brethren  had  been  designated  and 
treated  as  the  most  desperate  men  in  the  state  of  Missouri. 
The  mob  proved  their  own  assertion  to  be  false  when  they 
arranged  the  journey  to  Richmond.  That  afternoon  between 
Independence  and  Roy's  Ferry  the  three  guards  became  drunk. 
As  Joseph  and  his  brethren  had  no  physical  restraint  upon 
them,  they  could  easily  have  killed  their  guard  and  escaped; 
but  instead  of  doing  this,  they  merely  secured  the  arms  and 
the  horses  that  the  intoxicated  soldiers  might  not  injure  them- 
selves or  their  prisoners  and  that  the  steeds  might  not  stray  away. 

After  crossing  the  Missouri  they  were  met  by  Colonel 
Sterling  Price  with  a  guard  of  seventy-four  men,  by  whom 
they  were  conducted  to  Richmond  and  thrown  into  a  vacant 
house  closely  watched.  A  few  hours  after  their  arrival  Gen- 
eral Clark  visited  them.  When  they  demanded  the  reason 
why  they  had  thus  been  carried  from  their  homes,  and 
demanded  a  statement  of  the  charge  made  against  them,  the 
great  General  Clark,  called  an  eminent  lawyer,  answered  that 
he  could  not  then  determine  what  particular  offence  could  be 


268  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

alleged  against  them,  but  would  think  the  matter  over.  Imme- 
diately after  he  had  withdrawn  Colonel  Price  came  in  with  ten 
armed  men  and  some  chains  and  padlocks.  The  guards  were 
ordered  to  stand  with  muskets  ready  to  fire.  Then  the  win- 
dows were  nailed  down,  and  a  man  named  John  Fulkerson 
chained  the  seven  brethren  together  and  fastened  the  manacles 
with  padlocks. 

General  Clark  spent  many  hours  trying  to  find  some  def- 
inite charge  against  the  prisoners  and  trying  to  find  some 
authority  to  arraign  them  before  a  court  martial.  The  result 
of  his  researches  is  shown  in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Gov- 
ernor at  that  time  in  which  he  says : 

"  I  have  detained  General  White  and  his  field  officers 
here  a  day  or  two,  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  court  martial, 
if  necessary.  I  this  day  made  out  charges  against  the 
prisoners,  and  called  on  Judge  King  to  try  them  as  a  com- 
mitting court;  and  I  am  now  busily  engaged  in  procuring  wit- 
nesses and  submitting  facts.  There  being  no  civil  officers  in 
Cal dwell,  I  have  to  use  the  military  to  get  witnesses  from  there, 
which  I  do  without  reserve.  The  most  of  the  prisoners  here, 
I  consider  guilty  of  treason;  and  I  believe  will  be  convicted; 
and  the  only  difficulty  in  law  is,  can  ihey  be  tried  in  any 
county  but  Cal  dwell  ?  If  not,  they  cannot  be  there  indicted, 
until  a  change  of  population.  In  the  event  the  latter  view  is 
taken  by  the  civil  courts,  I  suggest  the  propriety  of  trying 
Joseph  Smith  and  those  leaders  taken  by  General  Lucas,  for 
mutiny.  This  I  am  in  favor  of  only  as  a  dernier  resort.  I 
would  have  taken  this  course  with  Smith  at  any  rate;  but  it 
being  doubtful  whether  a  court  martial  has  jurisdiction  or  not 
in  the  present  case — that  is,  whether  these  people  are  to  be 
treated  as  in  time  of  war,  and  the  mutineers  as  having 
mutinied  in  time  of  war — and  I  would  here  ask  you  to  for- 
ward to  me  the  Attorney- General's  opinion  on  this  point.  It 
will  not  do  to  allow  these  leaders  to  return  to  their  treasonable 
work  again,  on  account  of  their  not  being  indicted  in  Cald- 
well.  They  have  committed  treason,  murder,  arson,  burglary, 
robbery,  larceny  and  perjury." 

A  more  helpless  state  of  mind  than  that  of  General 
Clark  can  scarcely  be  imagined.  The  document  which  has 
been  quoted  and  which  he  closes  with  charges  against  the 
brethren  of  nearly  all  offences  under  the  law — and  yet  does 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  269 

not  know  how  to  substantiate  or  legally  punish  a  single  one  of 
them — proves  that  he  was  in  a  desperate  state  of  mind. 

He  was  determined  that  they  should  die  and  made  his 
preparations  for  the  commission  of  the  murder,  before  he  had 
even  decided  what  charge  to  bring  against  the  prisoners. 
While  this  matter  was  pending,  Brother  Jedediah  M.  Grant, 
then  a  young  man,  put  up  at  the  same  tavern  with  the  General 
at  Richmond.  He  saw  Clark  select  the  men  to  shoot  Joseph 
and  his  fellow-prisoners,  and  he  heard  the  day  of  the  execu- 
tion fixed  as  Monday,  November  12th,  1838.  He  saw  the  men 
who  were  selected  load  their  rifles  with  two  bullets  each;  and 
after  this  was  done  he  heard  General  Clark  say  to  them : 

"  Gentlemen,  you  shall  have  the  honor  of  shooting  the  Mormon 
leaders  next  Monday  morning  at  eight  o'clock" 

Colonel  Price,  who  had  immediate  charge  of  the  prisoners, 
permitted  all  manner  of  abuse  to  be  heaped  upon  them.  They 
were  kept  chained  together  like  wild  beasts ;  left  to  lie  upon 
the  bare  floor  without  any  covering.  When  they  might  have 
forgotten  their  sufferings  of  body  and  agony  of  mind  in  slum- 
ber, the  inhuman  guards  kept  them  awake  by  yelling  ribald 
songs  and  jests,  and  by  shrieks  of  laughter.  Parley  P.  Pratt,, 
who  was  one  of  the ( prisoners  confined  with  Joseph,  writes  of 
one  of  these  painful  nights  as  follows : 

"In  one  of  those  tedious  nights  we  had  lain  as  if  in  sleep, 
till  the  hour  of  midnight  had  passed,  and  our  ears  and  hearts 
had  been  pained,  while  we  had  listened  for  hours  to  the 
obscene  jests,  the  horrid  oaths,  the  dreadful  blasphemies  and 
filthy  language  of  our  guards,  Colonel  Price  at  their  head,  as- 
they  recounted  to  each  other  their  deeds  of  rapine,  murder, 
robbery,  etc.,  which  they  had  committed  among  the  Mor- 
mons while  at  Far  West  and  vicinity.  They  even  boasted  of 
defiling  by  force  wives,  daughters  and  virgins,  and  of  shooting 
or  dashing  out  the  brains  of  men,  women  and  children. 

u  I  had  listened  till  I  became  so  disgusted,  shocked,  horri- 
fied, and  so  filled  with  the  spirit  of  indignant  justice,  that  I 
could  scarcely  refrain  from  rising  upon  my  feet  and  rebuking 
the  guards,  but  I  had  said  nothing  to  Joseph,  or  any  one  else, 
although  I  lay  next  to  him  and  knew  he  was  awake.  On  a 
sudden  he  arose  to  his  feet  and  spoke  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  or 


270  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

as  the  roaring  lion>  uttering,  as  near  as  I  can  recollect,  the 
following  words  : 

'"Silence!  Ye  fiends  of  the  infernal  pit!  In  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ  I  rebuke  you,  and  command  you  to  be  still ;  I 
will  not  live  another  minute  and  hear  such  language.  Cease 
such  talk,  or  you  or  I  die  this  instant! ' 

"He  ceased  to  speak.  He  stood  erect  in  terrible  majesty. 
Chained,  and  without  a  weapon,  calm,  unruffled  and  dignified 
as  an  angel,  he  looked  down  upon  the  quailing  guards,  whose 
knees  smote  together,  and  who,  shrinking  into  a  corner,  or 
crouching  at  his  feet,  begged  his  pardon,  and  remained  quiet 
until  exchange  of  guards. 

"I  have  seen  ministers  of  justice,  clothed  in  minister- 
ial robes,  and  criminals  arraigned  before  them,  while  life  was 
suspended  upon  a  breath,  in  the  courts  of  England;  I  have 
witnessed  a  congress  in  solemn  session  to  give  laws  to  nations; 
I  have  tried  to  conceive  of  kings,  of  royal  courts,  of  thrones 
and  crowns;  and  of  emperors  assembled  to  decide  the  fate  of 
kingdoms,  but  dignity  and  majesty  have  I  seen  but  once,  as  it 
stood  in  chains,  at  midnight,  in  a  dungeon,  in  an  obscure  vil- 
lage of  Missouri." 

More  than  fifty  of  the  brethren  from  Far  West  were  also 
held  in  captivity  at  Richmond ;  failing  to  find  authority  or 
excuse  for  trying  any  of  these  men  by  court  martial,  Clark 
in  formed  them  that  the  whole  party  would  be  turned  over  to 
the  civil  authorities.  A  court  was  convened  with  Austin  A. 
King  presiding,  and  Thomas  C.  Burch,  the  state's  attorney, 
for  the  prosecution.  The  first  act  of  this  strange  tribunal  was 
to  send  out  a  body  of  mobocratic  soldiers,  armed  with  guns 
instead  of  civil  process,  to  bring  in  witnesses,  who  when  they 
arrived  were  sworn  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Nearly  forty 
persons  gave  evidence  for  the  prosecution.  Though  they  all 
swore  in  a  general  way  monstrous  crimes  against  the  accused, 
not  one  definite  charge  was  maintained.  "When  the  defense 
were  asked  for  their  witnesses  they  named  as  many  as  fifty, 
any  of  whom  could  have  disproved  the  accusations.  Captain 
Bogart,  the  Methodist  preacher,  was  sent  out  with  a  company 
of  soldiers  to  procure  these  witnesses,  and  when  he  brought 
them  in  under  arrest  they  were  thrust  into  jail  and  kept  there 
until  after  the  trial — without  being  accorded  an  opportunity 
to  testify  or  to  see  the  defendants. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  271 

One  day,  while  the  trial  was  proceeding,  a  man  named 
Allen,  who  knew  something  of  the  facts  and  was  there  as  an 
interested  spectator,  was  called  hy  the  defence  and  sworn.  As  his 
testimony  was  favorable  to  the  Prophet  and  the  other  prisoners, 
the  mob  set  upon  him  in  open  court  and  tried  to  murder  him. 
When  he  left  the  building  he  was  pursued  by  mobocrats  with 
loaded  guns.  Observing  the  outrages  inflicted  upon  people 
who  wanted  to  tell  the  truth,  the  Prophet  and  his  brethren 
ceased  to  demand  witnesses,  preferring  themselves  to  suffer 
than  to  involve  other  people  in  the  toils  of  mobocratic  hate. 

The  mock  investigation  continued  from  day  to  day  until 
Saturday,  November  24th,  1838,  when  all  of  the  brethren  were 
discharged  except  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum  Smith,  Lyman  Wight, 
Caleb  Baldwin,  Alexander  McEae,  Sidney  Eigdon,  Parley  P. 
Pratt,  Morris  Phelps,  Luman  Gibbs,  Darwin  Chase  and  Nor- 
man Shearer,  who  were  held  for  murder  and  treason. 

The  judge  was  a  Methodist,  and  he  had  been  particularly 
anxious  to  know  whether  the  defendants  believed  in  the  proph- 
ecy of  Daniel  that: 

"In  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God  of  Heaven  set 
up  a  kingdom  which  shall  break  in  pieces  all  other  kingdoms, 
and  stand  forever." 

And, 

"  The  kingdom  and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom,  under 
the  whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  Saints  of  the  Most 
High." 

When  it  appeared  clear  that  the  prisoners  believed  in  the 
Bible  and  in  this  particular  part  of  it,  their  treason  was  estab- 
lished. The  judge  so  decided  in  express  terms  and  he  then  com- 
mitted them;  and  as  General  Doniphan,  \vho  was  present, 
remarked : 

"  If  a  cohort  of  angels  were  to  come  down  and  declare 
the  innocence  of  the  prisoners  it  would  be  all  the  same;  for 
King  has  determined  from  the  beginning  to  throw  them  into 
prison." 

King  and  Burch,  the  judge  and  prosecuting  attorney,  had 
sat  in  Lucas's  secret  tribunal  in  Far  West  which  had  sentenced 
the  brethren  to  be  shot;  and  they  were  anxious  to  take  this 


272  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

new  opportunity  to  wreak  their  vengeance.  In  open  court 
the  judge  stated  that  there  was  no  law  to  protect  "Mormons" 
in  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  he  was  bound  to  aid  the  Govern- 
or's edict  of  extermination. 

The  prisoners  had  been  kept  in  chains  during  the  exam- 
ination ;  and  in  chains  they  stood  to  hear  the  judgment  of  the 
court.  It  was  that  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum  Smith,  Lyman 
Wight,  Alexander  McRae,  Caleb  Baldwin  and  Sidney  Bigdon 
be  imprisoned  in  the  jail  of  Clay  County  until  delivered  there- 
from by  due  course  of  law.  The  others  who  were  held  were 
retained  in  Richmond  jail. 

Thus  was  the  charge  of  treason  maintained  in  that  day; 
and  upon  the  same  grounds  it  has  been  repeated  against  the 
Saints  down  to  the  present  time,  for  they  still  continue  to 
believe  that  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God. 

Joseph  and  his  companions  were  carried  to  Liberty,  Clay 
County,  in  irons.  As  they  entered  the  town  considerable 
excitement  prevailed  among  people  desirous  to  view  them. 
Arrived  at  the  jail,  they  descended  from  the  vehicle  and 
walked  up  the  steps  to  a  landing  or  platform  in  front  of  the 
entrance  of  the  prison  building.  Joseph  wore  a  suit  of  black 
and  had  a  cloak  of  dark  colored  material  hanging  on  his  arm. 
Hyrum  followed  him  and  the  others  stood  close  around.  The 
gaze  of  the  spectators  was  concentrated  upon  Joseph,  and  his 
majestic  air  made  a  deep  impression  upon  them.  One  lady 
in  the  crowd  cried  :  "  Their  Prophet  looks  like  a  gentleman !" 
Another  looking  at  the  group  expressed  the  opinion  :  "  Well, 
they  are  line  looking  men  if  they  are  Mormons." 

It  was  on  the  30th  day  of  November,  1838,  that  they  were 
incarcerated  in  Liberty  jail;  and  at  once  an  order  was  made 
to  cut  off  all  communication  between  them  and  their  friends, 
while  every  effort  was  put  forth  to  drive  away  or  frighten  any 
witnesses  whose  testimony  might  be  desirable  for  the  defend- 
ants. And  at  the  same  time  the  threat  went  out  through  all 
that  region  that  if  judges  or  juries  our  courts  of  any  kind 
should  clear  the  prisoners,  they  would  be  slaughtered. 

After  a  little  time  the  rule  concerning  communications 
was  relaxed,  and  Joseph  was  able  to  write  to  his  brethren.  In 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  273 

one  of  his  letters,  dated  from   Liberty  jail,  December  16th, 
1838,  he  said : 

"  But  we  want  you  to  remember  Haman  and  Mordecai : 
you  know  Haman  could  not  be  satisfied  so  long  as  he  saw 
Mordecai  at  the  king's  gate,  and  he  sought  the  life  of  Mor- 
decai and  the  people  of  the  Jews.  But  the  Lord  so  ordered 
it,  that  Haman  was  hanged  upon  his  owTn  gallows.  So  shall 
it  come  to  pass  with  poor  Haman  in  the  last  days.  Those 
who  have  sought  by  unbelief  and  wickedness,  and  by  the  prin- 
ciple of  mobocracy,  to  destroy  u$  and  the  people  of  God,  by 
killing  them  and  scattering  them  abroad,  and  willfully  and 
maliciously  delivering  us  into  the  hands  of  murderers,  desir- 
ing us  to  be  put  to  death,  thereby  having  us  dragged  about  in 
chains  and  cast  into  prison,  and  for  what  cause?  It  is  because 
we  wrere  honest  men,  and  were  determined  to  save  the  lives  ot 
the  Saints  at  the  expense  of  our  own.  I  say  unto  you,  that 
those  who  have  thus  vilely  treated  us  like  Haman,  shall  be 
hanged  on  their  own  gallows  ;  or  in  other  words,  shall  fall  into 
their  own  gin,  and  snare,  and  ditch  and  trap,  which  they  have 
prepared  for  us,  and  shall  go  backwards  and  stumble  and  fall, 
and  their  names  shall  be  blotted,  out,  and  God  shall  reward 
them  according  to  all  their  abominations." 

The  people  were  making  their  preparations  to  leave  the 
state;  but  in  the  meantime  they  addressed  a  memorial  and 
petition  to  the  legislature  of  Missouri,  setting  forth  the  wrongs 
and  outrages  committed  upon  them.  These  appeals  were  pre- 
sented, but  after  an  angry  discussion  they  were  laid  upon  the 
table.  At  the  same  time  an  appropriation  of  $200,000  was 
made  to  the  mob  to  pay  them  for  their  crimes  against  the 
Saints. 

This  action  was  so  outrageous  that  something  must  be 
done  to  distract  public  attention,  and  the  mob  element  secured 
the  publication  of  the  most  enormous  falsehoods  against  the 
people.  In  these  accounts  the  wickedness  of  the  mob  was  dis- 
guised or  denied.  But  the  Prophet  exposed  them  in  the  fol- 
lowing words : 

"But  can  they  hide  the  Governor's  cruel  order  for  banish- 
ment or  extermination?  Can  they  conceal  the  facts  of  the  dis- 
graceful treaty  of  the  generals  with  their  own  officers  and  men  at 
Far  West?  Can  they  conceal  the  fact  that  twelve  or  fifteen  thou- 
sand men,  \vomen  and  children  have  been  banished  from  the 

18 


274  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

state  without  trial  or  condemnation?  And  this  at  the  expense 
of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars — and  this  sum  appropriated 
by  the  state  legislature  in  order  to  pay  the  troops  for  this  act 
of  lawless  outrage  ?  Can  they  conceal  the  fact  that  we  have 
been  imprisoned  for  many  months,  while  our  families,  friends 
and  witnesses  have  been  driven  away  ?  Can  they  conceal  the 
blood  of  the  murdered  husbands  and  fathers,  or  stifle  the  cries 
of  the  widow  and  the  fatherless?  Nay!  The  rocks  and 
mountains  may  cover  them  in  unknown  depths,  the  awful 
abyss  of  the  fathomless  deep  may  swallow  them  up — and  still 
their  horrid  deeds  stand  forth  in  the  broad  light  of  day,  for 
the  wondering  gaze  of  angels  and  men!  They  cannot  be  hid." 

The  year  drew  to  a  close.  The  Saints  were  impoverished 
and  scattered.  The  Prophet  and  his  companions,  loaded  with 
chains,  were  in  a  noisome  dungeon;  several  times  they  were 
poisoned,  and,  during  a  period  of  five  days,  human  flesh  was 
served  to  them  as  meat.  The  guards  called  it  "Mormon  beef," 
and  the  Prophet  warned  his  companions  not  to  touch  it. 

The  earth  was  wrapped  in  gloom  for  the  people  of  God 
when  the  sun  sank  for  the  last  time  upon  the  year  1838 ;  but 
beyond  and  above  this  sphere  was  the  star  of  eternal  faith, 
whose  light  no  prison  walls  could  shut  out  from  trusting  souls. 


CHAPTER  XLIL 

THE  PLEDGE  FOR  THE  POOR    SAINTS    IN    MISSOURI — BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

DRIVEN  FORTH EFFORTS  TO  SECURE    THE    PROPHET'S  RELEASE 

REMOVAL    TO    GALLATIN EXAMINATION    OF    THE    CASE   BY   A 

DRUNKEN  JURY WHOLESALE  INDICTMENT — CHANGE  OF  VENUE 

TO  BOONE ESCAPE  FROM  MISSOURI  TO  ILLINOIS. 

WITH  the  dawn  of  1839,  a  pledge  was  given  by  many  of  the 
brethren  in  Missouri  that  they  would  assist  each  other  and 
assist  the  poor  to  escape  from  the  state ;  and  the  promise  was 
sacredly  redeemed. 

But  the  persecution  did  not  cease.  Brigham  Young  who 
had  been  chosen  president  of  the  Twelve  in  place  of  Thomas 
B.  Marsh,  an  apostate,  was  driven  out  of  Far  West  by  mobs 
that  sought  his  life.  He  with  other  fugitive  Saints  went  to 
Illinois,  and  the  charitable  people  of  Quincy,  Adams  County, 
extended  to  the  persecuted  people  a  hand  of  kindness. 

In  January,  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Alanson  Ripley  went 
to  Liberty  and  began  to  importune  at  the'  feet  of  judges  for 
relief  for  their  suffering  Prophet  and  brethren  in  prison.  One 
Judge  Hughes  believed  that  they  were  pleading  the  cause  of 
the  innocent  and  wanted  the  captives  admitted  to  bail ;  but 
his  associates  were  hardened  and  would  not  consent.  The  two 
supplicants  were  soon  compelled,  by  mob  fury,  to  desist  from 
their  importunities  and  were  driven  away  from  Liberty. 

A  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  secured  about  the  close  ot 
January  to  bring  the  prisoners  before  Judge  Turnham.  An 
examination  was  held,  but  it  was  a  farce.  Nearly  all  the  offi- 
cers of  the  law,  if  not  in  league  with  the  mob,  were  in  terror 
of  its  power.  Sidney  Rigdon  alone  was  released  at  the  hear- 
ing upon  the  writ;  but  he  had  to  return  to  jail  because  the 
rabble  swore  they  would  kill  him  if  he  were  turned  loose.  A 
little  later  Sidney  was  let  out  of  the  prison  secretly  in  the 
night  by  a  friendly  jailor,  and  he  escaped  to  Quincy. 


276  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

The  families  of  Joseph,  Hyrum  and  the  other  captive 
brethren  gathered  up  to  Quincy  after  undergoing  the  most 
appalling  privations.  It  was  Stephen  Markham  who  escorted 
Emma,  Joseph's  wife,  and  their  children  from  Far  West, 
through  all  the  dangers  of  Missouri  and  to  a  place  of  safety. 
The  Saints  were  arriving  there  in  large  numbers  during  the 
winter  and  early  spring,  but  were  not  decided  yet  where  to  settle. 

On  the  15th  day  of  March  the  Prophet  and  the  other 
brethren  in  Liberty  jail  made  petitions  to  the  judges  of  the 
supreme  court  for  writs  of  habeas  corpus,  by  which  they  hoped 
to  have  the  proceedings  of  their  imprisonment  examined;  but 
they  were  obstructed  by  the  hatred  against  them.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  the  purpose  of  their  enemies  was  to  withhold  judi- 
cial hearing  until  after  the  brethren  had  suffered  death  in 
prison.  And  their  efforts,  from  this  time  on  during  their  cap- 
tivity were  continuous  to  secure  such  hearing. 

A  conference  was  held  at  Quincy  on  the  17th  of  Marchr 
1839,  over  which  Brigham  Young  presided  as  the  head  of  the 
Twelve.  Thomas  B.  Marsh  and  several  other  persons  of  some 
prominence  were  excommunicated  from  the  Church. 

A  gathering  place  for  the  Saints  was  necessary.  This  the 
Prophet  felt  every  hour.  While  he  was  in  prison  in  Liberty 
the  brethren  had  friendly  communication  with  one  Dr.  Isaac 
Galland  upon  the  s abject  of  settlement  by  the  Saints  in  Iowa 
Territory  and  at  Commerce,  Illinois.  From  his  dungeon  the 
Prophet  pressed  the  Elders  to  make  a  close  examination  of 
this  matter,  as  the  springtime  was  at  hand  and  the  crops  for 
the  year  must  be  planted. 

In  prison,  Joseph  was  in  constant  communion  with  the 
heavens  and  he  received  revelations,  without  which  he  and 
his  brethren  must  have  been  cast  down  and  without  hope. 
He  also  sent  epistles  full  of  instruction  and  hope  to  leading 
men  among  the  Saints.  And  his  cheerful  courage  under  the 
most  trying  circumstances  of  his  life  was  very  helpful  in 
animating  the  banished  people  to  pursue  their  migration  with 
energy  and  fortitude. 

While  the  Prophet  and  companions  were  still  in  Liberty 
jail,  and  after  having  repeatedly  and  vainly  sought  release  by  Law,. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  277 

they  thought  they  saw  an  opportunity  to  escape.  At  Hyrum's 
instance  Joseph  prayed  to  the  Lord  and  asked  if  it  were  His 
will  that  they  should  depart  from  prison.  The  answer  came 
to  the  Prophet  that  if  they  were  all  agreed  in  faith  and  pur- 
pose they  might  escape  that  night.  When  this  response  was 
made  known,  all  of  the  brethren  except  Lyman  "Wight  coin- 
cided in  the  opinion  that  they  should  seize  their  liberty,  for 
they  relied  implicitly  upon  the  promise  given.  But  Lyman 
trembled,  hesitated;  and,  as  his  companions  would  not  resolve 
to  leave  him  and  as  the  promise  of  the  Lord  was  based  upon 
their  unanimity,  they  resolved  to  wait  until  the  next  night  as 
Lyman  Wight  agreed  to  then  accompany  them.  The  delay 
was  fatal;  they  broke  the  conditions  of  the  promise  and 
remained  in  durance.  On  the  night  for  which  the  promise 
was  given  the  jailor  came  in  alone  with  their  suppers  and  left 
the  doors  wide  open,  so  that  they  might  easily  have  escaped. 
The  next  night  he  brought  a  double  guard  with  him  and  also 
six  visiting  brethren.  As  the  jailor  was  leaving  their  dungeon 
some  of  them  attempted  to  follow  him ;  but  they  were  foiled. 
The  guards  were  so  enraged  at  the  effort,  although  it  had 
been  a  vain  one,  that  they  locked  up  the  visiting  brethren  and 
made  threats  against  their  persons  and  property.  The  attempt 
to  escape  created  great  excitement;  and  the  people  of  the 
town  swarmed  arpund  the  jail  proposing  various  plans  to 
destroy  Joseph  and  all  his  companions.  But  the  Prophet  told 
his  brethren  to  have  no  fear;  not  a  hair  of  their  heads  should 
be  harmed,  and  the  brethren  who  had  come  in  to  comfort 
them  should  not  lose  any  of  their  personal  belongings — not 
even  a  horse  or  a  saddle.  He  told  them  that  they  had  risked 
their  lives  to  bring  joy  to  himself  and  companions  and  the 
Lord  would  bless  them.  These  promises  Avere  fulfilled  to  the 
letter. 

When  the  visiting  brethren  were  called  for  trial,  Brother 
Erastus  Snow,  who  was  one  of  them,  plead  their  cause  as  he 
had  been  counseled  by  Joseph.  He  did  so  in  such  a  forcible 
and  eloquent  manner  that  orders  of  discharge  in  some  cases 
and  orders  for  bail  in  the  others  were  immediately  entered. 
Elder  Snow's  argument  had  been  so  strong  and  logical  in  its 


278  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

legal  deductions  that  the  lawyers  who  heard  him  supposed 
that  he  was  a  trained  attorney. 

Many  enemies  of  the  Prophet  was  permitted  hy  the  guard 
to  visit  and  insult  him  in  prison.  It  was  their  habit  to  charge 
him  with  murder.  Several  different  men  accused  him  of 
having  killed  their  sons  at  the  battle  on  Crooked  River ; 
several  more,  who  were  no  kin  to  each  other,  charged  him 
with  having  killed  their  brothers  in  the  same  battle.  And  this 
was  the  texture  of  the  accusations  made  against  him  in  and  oat 
of  court.  It  had  been  alleged  that  only  one  man  was  killed 
at  the  battle  of  Crooked  River,  so  it  was  impossible  for 
several  different  men  to  lose  sons  and  brothers  there;  and 
Joseph  was  not  near  the  scene  of  that  contest. 

On  one  occasion  a  company  under  the  leadership  ot 
William  Bowman  made  solemn  oath  that  they  would  never 
eat  or  drink  more  until  they  had  taken  the  life  of  Joseph 
Smith.  Bowman  himself  went  to  one  of  the  Elders  and  made 
this  boast: 

"  After  I  once  lay  eyes  on  your  Prophet  I  will  never  taste 
food  or  drink  until  I  have  killed  him." 

As  these  men  all  saw  the  Prophet  soon  afterward,  and  as 
he  lived  more  than  five  years  from  that  time,  they  either  broke 
their  oath  or  endured  a  long  fast. 

Before  Brigham  Young  was  driven  out  of  Missouri  into 
Illinois  he  went  with  Elders  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  George  A. 
Smith  to  see  the  Prophet  in  prison.  Joseph  enjoyed  two 
visits  with  them ;  and  when  they  left  him  they  were  much , 
affected  and  were  determined  to  do  something  further  for  his' 
release.  In  the  latter  part  of  March,  Elders  Heber  C.  Kimball 
and  Theodore  Turley,  carrying  with  them  the  papers  in  the 
case,  went  to  see  the  Governor.  As  Boggs  was  absent  from 
the  capital  the  secretary  of  state  reviewed  the  documents  ;  and 
he  was  amazed  that  any  man  should  be  held  in  custody  upon 
such  papers,  for  they  were  in  every  sense  illegal,  insufficient 
and  absurd.  However,  nothing  was  done  from  the  executive 
ofiice  to  relieve  them;  and  Elders  Kimball  and  Turley  then 
applied  to  the  supreme  court  judges  for  a  writ  of  habeas 
corpus  but  without  avail.  When  these  devoted  men  returned 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  279 

to   Liberty   and   reported   the   failure   of  their  mission,   the 
Prophet  bade  them  be  of  good  cheer  and  said  : 

"We  shall  be  delivered;  but  no  arm  but  that  of  God  can 
save  us  now.  Tell  the  brethren  to  be  of  good  cheer  and  to  get 
the  Saints  away  from  Missouri  as  soon  as  possible." 

On  Saturday,  the  6th  day  of  April,  1839,  Judge  King 
ordered  the  Prophet  and  his  fellow-prisoners  off  to  Gallatin, 
Daviess  County.  This  judicial  autocrat  feared  a  change  of  venue 
or  some  movement  from  a  superior  tribunal  to  secure  the  release 
of  the  prisoners  or  their  removal  from  his  personal  power,  and 
he  determined  to  carry  them  away  from  Liberty.  He  sent  them 
under  a  guard  of  ten  men,  promising  the  brethren  that  they 
should  be  permitted  to  go  through  Far  West  to  see  their 
friends,  as  that  place  was  directly  on  their  route.  Instead, 
however,  of  fulfilling  his  promise,  the  guards  carried  the 
captives  eighteen  miles  out  of  the  direct  course  to  avoid  the 
city,  dragging  them  through  a  dangerous  country,  apparently 
in  the  hope  that  some  of  their  sworn  enemies  would  fall  upon 
and  massacre  them. 

The  journey  to  Gallatin  was  very  paintul,  for  Joseph  and 
his  brethren  had  been  greatly  enfeebled  by  their  long  confine- 
ment and  the  privations  which  they  had  endured  while 
enchained  in  Liberty  dungeon.  Before  they  had  started  on 
this  journey  some  of  the  captive  brethren  had  desired  to  have 
a  party  of  friends  to  accompany  them  for  protection.  But 
as  they  never  did  anything  without  asking  the  Prophet,  they 
consulted  him  upon  this  point.  He  responded  : 

"  In  the  name  of  the  Lord,  if  we  put  our  trust  in  Him 
alone  we  shall  be  saved  and  no  harm  shall  befall  us,  and  we 
shall  be  better  treated  than  ever  before  since  we  have  been 
prisoners." 

Although  this  surprised  the  brethren,  it  satisfied  them: 
But  when  they  arrived  at  the  place  where  the  court  was  to  be 
held  at  Gallatin,  they  began  to  think  the  Prophet  had  been 
mistaken  for  once,  for  the  rabble  rushed  out  upon  them 

shrieking,  "Kill  them; them,  kill  them!"     There 

was  apparently  no   chance  for  escape  except  to  fight,  and  they 


280  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

were  unarmed.     At  this  instant  the  Prophet  rose  to  his  feet 
and  said : 

"We  are  in  your  hands;  if  we  are  guilty,  we  do  not 
refuse  to  be  punished  by  the  law." 

Some  of  the  bitterest  mobocrats  hearing  these  words  and 
being  impressed  by  the  power  with  which  they  were  uttered, 
warned  the  blood-thirsty  rabble  back  and  quieted  the  storm. 
During  the  time  of  their  stay  in  Gallatin  the  Prophet's 
promise  was  fulfilled ;  for  they  enjoyed  all  the  comforts  and 
some  of  the  luxuries  of  life,  tendered  them  by  men  who 
sympathized  with  their  long-suffering  and  patient  endurance. 
The  day  after  their  arrival  at  Gallatin  an  examination  of  their 
case  commenced  before  a  drunken  jury.  Austin  A.  King, 
who  acted  here  as  the  presiding  judge,  was  as  drunk  as  the 
jurymen.  The  same  perjured  testimony  was  invoked  at  this 
time  as  on  previous  occasions.  Everything  which  was  pre- 
judicial to  the  prisoners,  even  when  it  was  a  patent  falsehood, 
and  even  when,  if  true,  it  could  have  had  no  relevancy  to  the 
case,  was  eagerly  seized  and  applauded.  Stephen  Markham 
desired  to  testify  to  some  facts  which  were  favorable  to  the 
defendants.  He  had  reached  Gallatin  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
9th,  having  hastened  from  Far  West,  swimming  several 
streams  by  the  way,  to  bring  money  and  comfort  to  the  Prophet 
and  his  companions.  At  his  request  his  testimony  was 
received.  It  did  not  suit  the  mobocratic  guards,  and  they 
attempted  to  kill  him.  The  notorious  Colonel  William  P. 
Peniston  was  one  of  their  number.  Judge  King  and  all  the 
members  of  the  grand  jury  saw  the  attack  upon  Markham, 
and  the  threats  against  his  life,  but  they  took  no  cognizance  of 
these  outrages. 

On  the  llth  of  April,  1839,  the  grand  jury  brought  in  a 
bill  against  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum  Smith,  Alexander  McRae, 
Caleb  Baldwin  and  Lyman  Wight  for  "murder,  treason, 
burglary,  arson,  larceny,  theft  and  stealing."  All  of  these 
counts  were  embodied  in  one  indictment,  and  not  one  of  them 
was  sustained  by  any  specific  statement  of  circumstances.  The 
language  of  the  bill  proves  that  the  grand  jury,  like  General 
Clark,  had  failed  to  find  a  definite  charge  which  they  could 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

substantiate,  and  so  included  everything  which  they  could 
think  of.  That  night  Elder  Markham  stayed  with  the 
brethren,  and  while  he  slept  a  vision  came  to  Joseph,  showing 
him  that  his  heloved  Brother  Markham  was  in  peril  of  his 
life,  at  the  same  time  showing  him  that  his  own  deliverance 
and  that  of  his  captive  companions,  was  nigh.  The  Prophet 
aroused  Stephen  and  told  him  to  hasten  away  from  Gallatin, 
hecause  if  he  waited  until  broad  day — according  to  his  expecta- 
tion for  the  purpose  of  meeting  the  lawyers — he  would  be 
waylaid  by  a  mob  which  intended  to  assassinate  him.  Stephen 
knew  that  the  warning  was  from  the  Lord  and  he  fled,  thereby 
baffling  the  mobocrats  who,  as  shown  to  Joseph  in  the  vision, 
had  really  made  their  plot  to  kill  Stephen.  After  he  was 
gone  an  armed  party  pursued  him  a  long  distance  on  the  road 
to  Far  West;  but  they  were  unable  to  overtake  him. 

Elder  Alexander  McRae,  who  was  a  prisoner  with  Joseph 
at  this  time,  says  that  it  was  the  Prophet's  characteristic  to 
always  defend  his  companions  no  matter  how  unpopular  it 
might  be  to  speak  in  their  favor.  He  was  much  more  solicit- 
ous for  them  than  for  himself.  And  as  an  illustration  Brother 
Meltae  says  that  while  they  were  at  Gallatin,  Peniston  began 
to  insult  one  of  the  captive  brethren.  Joseph  darted  a  glance  of 
lightning  upon  the  wretch  and  said  in  tones  of  thunder  :  "  Your 
heart  is  as  black  as  your  whiskers." 

Peniston  threw  his  hand  over  his  beard,  which  was  as 
black  as  a  crow,  and  rushed  from  the  room  quaking  in  'every 
limb. 

Elder  Markham  had  left  with  the  brethren  a  recent 
statute  which  enabled  them  to  secure  a  change  of  venue  upon 
their  own  affidavit;  and  after  the  mock  examination  in  Galla- 
tin the  Prophet  and  his  companions  procured  a  change  of 
venue  to  Boone  County,  for  which  place  they  departed  on  the 
15th  day  of  April,  1839,  under  charge  of  a  strong  guard.  On 
the  evening  of  the  16th,  while  pursuing  their  journey,  all  of  the 
guards  became  intoxicated.  It  was  a  favorable  moment  for 
an  escape,  and  the  brethren  seized  the  opportunity.  The 
Prophet's  reasons  for  consenting  to  this  escape  were  stated  by 
him  at  the  time  in  the  following  language. 


282  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

"Knowing  the  only  object  of  our  enemies  was  our  des- 
truction, *  *  *  we  thought  that  [escape]  was  necessary 
for  us,  inasmuch  as  we  love  our  lives,  and  did  not  wish  to  die 
by  the  hands  of  murderers  and  assassins;  and  inasmuch  as  we 
love  our  families  and  friends." 

By  this  act  the  brethren  took  their  change  of  venue  from 
the  state  of  Missouri  to  the  state  of  Illinois.  After  indescrib- 
able hardships,  traveling  by  night  and  suffering  all  manner  of 
privations,  they  arrived  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  and  met  the  con- 
gratulations of  their  friends  and  the  embraces  of  their  families. 

Reviewing  the  awful  experience  through  which  he  and  his 
fellow  captives  had  passed,  Joseph  wrote  on  the  day  of  his 
arrival  at  Quincy  as  follows  : 

"  We  were  in  their  hands,  as  prisoners,  about  six  months; 
but  notwithstanding  their  determination  to  destroy  us,  *  * 
and  although  at  three  different  times  (as  we  were  informed) 
we  were  sentenced  to  be  shot,  without  the  least  shadow  of  law 
(as  we  were  not  military  men),  and  had  the  time  and  place 
appointed  for  that  purpose,  yet  through  the  mercy  of  Glod,  in 
answer  to  the  prayers  of  the  Saints,  we  have  been  preserved 
and  delivered  out  of  their  hands,  and  can  again  enjoy  the 
society  of  our  friends  and  brethren,  whom  we  love  and  to 
whom  we  feel  united  in  bonds  that  are  stronger  £han  death; 
and  in  a  state  where  we  believe  the  laws  are  respected,  and 
whose  citizens  are  humane  and  charitable. 

"During  the  time  we  were  in  the  hands  of  our  enemies, 
we  must  say,  that  although  we  felt  anxiety  respecting  our 
families  and  friends,  who  were  so  inhumanly  treated  and 
abused,  and  who  had  to  mourn  the  loss  of  their  * 
slain,  and,  after  having  been  robbed  of  nearly  all  that  they 
possessed,  be  driven  from  their  homes,  and  forced  to  wander 
as  strangers  in  a  strange  country,  in  order  that  they  might 
save  themselves  and  their  little  ones  from  the  destruction  they 
were  threatened  with  in  Missouri,  yet  as  far  as  we  were  con- 
cerned, we  felt  perfectly  calm,  and  resigned  to  the  will  of  our 
Heavenly  Father.  We  knew  our  innocency,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  Saints,  and  that  we  had  done  nothing  to  deserve  such 
treatment  from  the  hands  of  our  oppressors.  Consequently, 
we  could  look  to  that  God  who  has  the  hearts  of  all  men  in 
His  hands,  and  who  has  saved  us  frequently  from  the  gates  of 
death,  for  deliverance;  and  notwithstanding  that  every  avenue 
of  escape  seemed  to  be  entirely  closed,  and  death  stared  us  in 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  -283 

the  face,  and  that  our  destruction  was  determined  upon,  as  far 
as  man  was  concerned,  yet,  from  our  first  entrance  into  the 
camp,  we  felt  an  assurance  that  we,  with  our  families,  should 
be  delivered.  Yes,  that  still  small  voice,  which  has  so  often 
whispered  consolation  to  our  souls,  in  the  depths  of  sorrow 
and  distress,  bade  us  be  of  good  cheer,  and  promised  deliver- 
ance, which  gave  us  great  comfort.  And  although  the  heathen 
raged,  and  the  people  imagined  vain  things,  yet  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,  the  God  of  Jacob  was  our  refuge ;  and  when  we  cried 
unto  Him  in  the  day  of  trouble,  He  delivered  us;  for  which 
we  call  upon  our  souls  to  bless  and  praise  His  holy  name. 
For  although  we  were  troubled  on  every  side,  yet  not  dis- 
tressed; perplexed,  but  not  in  despair;  persecuted,  but  not 
forsaken;  cast  down,  but  not  destroyed." 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THE  EXODUS  COMPLETED A  FRAGMENT  OF  ITS  AGONIES — THE  WOES 

OF  A  MARTYR'S  WIDOW,  A  TYPE  OF  THE  GENERAL  SUFFERING — 

THREAT  THAT  ONE  OF  JOSEPH'S  PROPHECIES  SHOULD  FAIL BUT 

IT  IS  FULFILLED  BY  COURAGEOUS  APOSTLES MISSOURI'S  PUN- 
ISHMENT AND  ATONEMENT. 

THE  agony  of  the  exodus  from  Missouri  cannot  be  described. 
Many  of  the  brethren  had  been  killed;  many  more  were  in 
prison;  and  all  the  rest  were  pursued  with  vindictive  hate  and 
threats  of  death.  But  for  the  spirit  of  mutual  help  which 
prevailed,  the  half  of  the  stricken  Saints  must  have  perished 
by  massacre  or  starvation  in  Missouri.  A  pitiful  picture  of 
some  of  the  trials  they  endured  was  drawn  by  Sister  Amanda 
Smith,  a  survivor  of  the  Haun's  Mill  massacre.  The  mob  had 
killed  her  husband  and  one  son  and  had  dangerously  wounded 
another  of  her  children. 
She  says: 

"  They  [the  mob]  told  us  we  must  leave  the  state  forth- 
with or  be  killed.      It  was   cold  weather,  and  they  had   our 


284  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

teams  and  clothes,  our  men  all  dead  or  wounded.  I  told 
them  they  might  kill  me  and  my  children  and  welcome.  They 
sent  word  to  us  from  time  to  time,  saying  that  if  we  did  not 
leave  the  state  they  would  come  and  kill  us.  We  had  little 
prayer  meetings.  They  said  if  we  did  not  stop  these,  they 
would  kill  every  man,  woman  and  child.  We  had  spelling 
schools  for  our  little  children.  They  said  if  we  did  not  stop 
these,  they  would  kill  every  man,  woman  and  child.  We  [the 
women]  had  to  do  our  own  milking,  cut  our  own  wood ;  no 
man  to  help  us.  I  started  on  the  1st  of  February  for  Illinois 
without  money ;  mobs  on  the  way;  drove  our  own  team;  slept 
out  of  doors.  I  had  five  small  children;  we  suffered  hunger, 
fatigue,  and  cold." 

This  is  one  scene  by  which  the  whole  Missouri  tragedy  of 
that  day  may  be  judged. 

Some  time  after  the  Saints  had  completed  their  exodus 
Hyrum  Smith  epitomized  the  awful  events,  in  the  following 
words : 

"  Governor  Boggs  and  Generals  Clark,  Lucas,  Wilson  and 
Gilliam,  also  Austin  A.  King,  have  committed  treasonable  acts 
against  the  citizens  of  Missouri,  and  did  violate  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States,  and  also  the  constitution  and  laws 
of  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  did  exile  and  expel,  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet,  some  twelve  or  fourteen  thousand  inhabitants 
of  the  state,  and  did  murder  some  three  or  four  hundred  of 
men,  women  and  children  in  cold  blood,  in  the  most  horrid 
and  cruel  manner  possible.  And  the  whole  of  it  was  caused 
by  religious  bigotry  and  persecution,  and  because  the  Mor- 
mons dared  to  worship  Almighty  God  according  to  the  dictates 
of  their  own  conscience,  and  agreeably  to  His  divine  will,  as 
revealed  in  the  scriptures  of  eternal  truth." 

The  Prophet  himself  bore  testimony  that  the  conduct  of 
the  Saints  under  their  accumulated  wrongs  and  sufferings  was 
most  praiseworthy.  He  had  observed  them  from  within  his 
prison  walls,  arid  after  the  order  of  exile  was  fully  enforced  he 
wrote  : 

"  The  courage  of  the  Saints  in  defending  their  brethren 
from  the  ravages  of  the  mobs,  their  attachment  to  the  cause  of 
truth,  under  circumstances  most  trying  and  distressing  which 
humanity  can  possibly  endure;  their  love  to  each  other;  *  * 
their  sacrifice  in  leaving  Missouri  and  assisting  the  poor  wid- 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  285 

o\vs  and  orphans  and  securing  them  houses  in  a  more  hospita- 
ble land;  all  combine  to  raise  them  in  the  estimation  of  all 
good  and  virtuous  men,  and  has  secured  them  the  tavor  and 
approbation  of  Jehovah,  and  a  name  as  imperishable  as  eter- 
nity. And  their  virtuous  deeds  and  heroic  actions,  while  in 
ijefense  of  truth  and  their  brethren,  will  be  fresh  and  bloom- 
ing when  the  names  of  their  oppressors  shall  be  either  entirely 
forgotten,  or  only  remembered  for  their  barbarity  and  cruelty. " 

On  the  5th  day  of  April,  1839,  Captain  Bogart,  who  was 
now  the  county  judge  of  Caldwell,  with  a  number  of  apostates 
and  mobocrats  visited  Elder  Theodore  Turley  in  Far  West, 
and  called  his  attention  to  the  revelation  given  through 
Joseph  Smith,  July  8th,  1838,  in  which  the  following  passage 
occurs : 

"Let  them  [the  Twelve]  take  leave  of  my  Saints  in  the  city  of  Far 
West  on  the  ^6th  day  of  April  next,  on  the  building  spot  of  my  house  saith 
the  Lord." 

Bogart  and  his  companions  said  to  Elder  Turley : 

"As  a  rational  man,  you  must  give  up  the  claim  that 
Joseph  Smith  is  a  Prophet  and  an  inspired  man ;  the  Twelve 
are  scattered  all  over  creation;  let  them  come  here  if  they 
dare;  if  they  do  they  will  be  murdered.  As  that  revelation 
cannot  be  fulfilled,  you  must  now  give  up  your  faith.  This  is 
like  all  the  rest  of  Joseph  Smith's  damned  prophecies." 

Elder  Turley  rebuked  them  with  such  manliness  and 
power  of  the  Spirit  that  John  Whitmer,  one  of  the  apostates 
who  was  present,  hung  his  head  in  shame. 

But  the  Lord  God  Almighty  would  not  permit  one  jot  or 
tittle  of  His  promise  to  fail;  He  had  servants  with  the  courage 
and  fidelity  to  perform  His  command.  At  1  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  26th  day  of  April,  1839,  the  day  promised  in 
the  revelation,  seven  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  a  majority  of  the 
quorum,  held  a  conference  on  the  temple  site  at  Far  West; 
and  the  master  workman  laid  a  corner  stone  of  the  foundation 
of  the  Lord's  house.  After  the  inspiring  services  were  ended 
the  Twelve  took  leave  of  the  congregation  of  the  Saints  as  had 
been  promised. 

It  was  at  this  conference  that  Wilford  Woodruff  and 
George  A.  Smith  were  ordained  to  the  Apostleship.  Brigham 


286  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Young  presided  over  the  meeting  and  John  Taylor  was  its 
clerk. 

President  Brigham  Young,  in  speaking  of  this  matter  in 
his  history,  details  the  following  incident : 

"As  the  Saints  were  passing  away  from  the  meeting, 
Brother  Turley  said  to  Page  and  Woodruff,  "Stop  a  bit, 
while  I  bid  Isaac  Russell  good-bye;"  and  knocking  at  his  door 
called  Brother  Russell. 

His  wife  answered,  "  Come  in,  it  is  Brother  Turley." 

Russell  replied,  "It  is  not;  he  left  here  two  weeks  ago," 
and  appeared  quite  alarmed;  but  on  finding  it  was  Turley, 
asked  him  to  sit  down;  but  he  replied,  "I  cannot;  I  shall  lose 
my  company." 

"Who  is  your  company?"  inquired  Russell. 

"  The  Twelve." 

"  The  Twelve" 

"  Yes,  don't  you  know  that  this  is  the  twenty-sixth,  and 
the  day  the  Twelve  were  to  take  leave  of  their  friends  on  the 
foundation  of  the  Lord's  House,  to  go  to  the  islands  of  the 
sea  ?  The  revelation  is  now  fulfilled,  and  I  am  going  with 
them." 

Russell  was  speechless,  and  Turley  bid  him  farewell. 

Thus  was  this  revelation  fulfilled,  concerning  which  our 
enemies  said,  if  all  the  other  revelations  of  Joseph  Smith  were 
fulfilled  that  one  should  not,  as  it  had  day  and  date  to  it." 

After  the  fulfillment  of  this  prophecy  none  of  the  Saints 
had  any  desire  to  remain  longer  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  and 
the  last  remnant,  except  such  as  were  held  in  chains  and 
dungeons,  hastened  away  to  join  their  brethren  in  Illinois  and 
to  find  a  new  place  of  gathering.  And  a  few  months  later, 
after  undergoing  thrice  the  tortures  of  death,  Parley  P.  Pratt 
and  the  other  captives  had  all  been  released. 

The  turbulent  spirits  in  Missouri  had  conquered,  over- 
riding law  and  justice  and  trampling  humanity  into  the  dust. 
This  is  not  the  place  for  a  review  in  detail  of  all  the  sufferings 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  in  that  region ;  but  when  the 
chapter  shall  be  written,  it  will  be  as  tragic  as  anything  in 
American  history. 

The  edict  of  exile  was  made  and  enforced,  and  so  far  as 
the  Saints  were  concerned  the  deed  ended  there;  but  not  so 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  287 

with  the  state  of  Missouri,  for  the  wrong  committed  remained 
to  plague  arid  wreak  its  vengeance  upon  guilty  and  innocent 
alike.  The  demon,  conjured  into  power  by  the  murderous 
and  plundering  element  of  that  region,  would  not  down. 
When  there  were  no  "  Mormons"  to  persecute,  the  turbulent 
spirits  of  the  border  at  times  fell  upon  each  other  and  at 
other  times  fell  unitedly  upon  law-abiding,  prosperous  citizens. 
Missouri  became  deeply  involved  in  the  Kansas  troubles,  in 
which  the  lawless,  mobocratic  element  took  bloody  part;  and 
when  the  Civil  War  opened,  the  government  of  Missouri,  from 
the  executive  office  down,  became  a  chaos.  The  man  who 
occupied  the  place  disgraced  by  Lilburn  W.  Boggs  was  a 
secessionist  and  fled  from  his  capital  to  lead  the  state  militia  at 
Booneville  against  the  Union  troops.  The  national  power  tri- 
umphed, and  the  governor  and  his  forces,  among  which  were 
many  of  the  old  mobocrats,  were  utterly  routed.  The  offices 
which  had  once  been  disgraced  by  cowards  were  now  declared 
vacant  by  an  arbitrary  decree  of  a  state  convention  in  sympa- 
thy with  the  Republic,  one  and  indivisible.  The  state  was 
declared  out  of  the  Union  by  the  secessionist  governor,  and 
then  became  the  theatre  for  a  fratricidal  strife  which  deluged 
it  with  blood. 

On  the  31st  day  of  August,  1861,  General  John  C.  Fre- 
mont, then  in  command  of  the  western  department,  declared 
martial  law  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  proclaimed  free  the 
slaves  of  all  persons  who  had  taken  up  arms  against  the 
United  States.  It  was  a  wonderful  retribution  that  Missouri, 
in  which  the  mob  had  declared  as  a  pretext  for  their  assaults 
upon  the  Saints  that  the  latter  were  Abolitionists,  should  be 
the  first  state  in  which  an  edict  of  manumission  went  forth. 
It  is  also  a  wonderful  retribution  that  the  state  in  which  the  civil 
power  had  once  been  helpless  to  protect  law-abiding  citizens, 
should,  only  five  months  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  war, 
have  its  civil  power  abrogated  and  all  its  people  placed  under 
martial  rule.  Some  of  ,the  statements  in  Fremont's  proclam- 
ation show  with  startling  significance  the  character  of  that  evil 
population  which  had  been  rewarded  by  the  state  for  expatri- 
ating the  Latter-day  Saints. 


288  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

The  Genera]  says  : 

"  Circumstances,  in  my  judgment  of  sufficient  urgency, 
render  it  necessary  that  the  Commanding  General  of  this 
Department  should  assume  the  administrative  powers  of  the 
state.  Its  disorganized  condition,  the  helplessness  of  its  civil 
authority,  the  total  insecurity  of  life ,  and  the  devastation  of  property 
by  hands  of  murderers  and  marauders,  who  infest  nearly  every 
county  in  the  state,  and  avail  themselves  of  the  public  misfortunes 
and  the  vicinity  of  a  hostile  force,  to  gratify  private  and  neighbor- 
hood vengeance,  and  who  find  an  enemy  wherever  they  find  plunder, 
— finally  demand  the  severest  measures  to  repress  the  daily 
increasing  crimes  and  outrages,  which  are  driving  off  the  inhab- 
itants and  ruining  the  state.  In  this  condition,  the  public  safety 
and  the  success  of  our  arms  require  unity  of  purpose:  without 
let  or  hindrance,  to  the  prompt  administration  of  affairs. 

"In  order,  therefore,  to  suppress  disorders,  to  maintain  as 
far  as  now  practicable  the  public  peace,  and  to  give  security 
and  protection  to  the  persons  and  property  of  loyal  citizens,  [ 
do  hereby  extend,  and  declare  established,  martial  law 
throughout  the  state  of  Missouri.  The  lines  of  the  army  of 
occupation  in  this  state  are  for  the  present  declared  to  extend 
from  Leavenworth,  by  way  of  the  posts  of  Jefferson  City, 
Rolla  and  Ironton,  to  Cape  Girardeau,  on  the  Mississippi 
River. 

"All  persons  who  shall  be  taken  with  arms  in  their  hands 
within  these  lines  shall  be  tried  by  court  martial,  and  if  found 
guilty,  will  be  shot." 

Upon  the  subject  of  the  slaves,  in  the  same  proclamation, 
the  General  says: 

"The  property,  real  and  personal,  of  all  persons  in  the 
state  of  Missouri  who  shall  take  up  arms  against  the  United 
States,  and  who  shall  be  directly  proven  to  have  taken  active 
part  with  their  enemies  in  the  field,  is  declared  to  be  confis- 
cated to  the  public  use ;  and  their  slaves,  if  any  they  have,  are 
hereby  declared  free  men." 

And  in  enforcement  of  his  proclamation  to  set  the  negroes 
free,  he  issued  deeds  of  manumission,  of  one  of  which  we  are 
able  to  present  a  copy : 

"Deed  of  Manumission. — Whereas,  T.  L.  S.,  of  the  city 
and  county  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  has  been  taking  active  part 
with  the  enemies  of  the  United  States  in  the  present  insurrec- 
tionary movement  against  the  government  of  the  United 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  289 

States,  Now,  therefore,  T,  John  Charles  Fremont,  Major-Gen- 
eral, commanding  the  Western  Department  of  the  Army  of 
the  United  States,  by  authority  of  law,  and  the  power  vested 
in  me,  as  such  Commanding-General,  declare  Frank  Lewis, 
heretofore  'held  to  service'  or  labor,  by  said  T.  L.  S.  to  be 
free,  and  forever  discharged  from  the  bonds  of  servitude; 
giving  him  full  right  and  authority  to  have,  use  and  control 
his  own  labor  or  service  as  to  him  may  seem  proper,  without 
any  accountability  whatever  to  said  T.  L.  S.,  or  any  one  to 
claim  by,  through  or  under  him.  And  this  Deed  of  Manu- 
mission shall  be  respected  and  treated  by  all  persons  and  in  all 
courts  of  justice,  as  the  full  and  complete  evidence  of  the  free- 
dom of  said  Frank  Lewis. 

"In  testimony  whereof  this  act  is  done  at  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, this  1st  day  of  September,  1861,  as  is  evidenced  by  the 
departmental  seal  hereto  affixed  by  my  order. 

"(Signed),  JOHN  C.  FREMONT." 

Horace  Greeley,  in  his  American  Conflict,  speaks  of 
"Missouri,  betrayed  by  Jackson"  (the  governor).  Referring 
to  the  spectacles  of  anarchy  and  treason  exhibited  by  the  seced- 
ing states,  Greeley  reaches  the  culmination  with  Missouri  and 
uses  the  following  words : 

"  We  are  now  to  contemplate  more  directly  the  spectacle  of  a 
state  plunged  into  secession  and  civil  war,  not  in  obedience  to,  but  in 
defiance  of,  the  action  of  her  convention  and  the  express  will  of  her 
people — not,  even,  by  any  direct  act  of  her  legislature,  but  by  the  will 
of  her  executive  alone.  The  state  school  fund, 

the  money  provided  to  pay  the  July  interest  on  the  heavy  state 
debt,  and  all  other  available  means,  amounting  in  the  aggre- 
gate to  over  three  millions  of  dollars,  were  appropriated  to 
military  uses,  and  placed  at  the  disposal  of  [Governor]  Jack- 
son, under  the  pretense  of  arming  the  state  against  any  emer- 
gency. By  another  act  the  governor  was  invested  with  despotic 
power — even  verbal  opposition  to  his  assumptions  of  authority 
being  constituted  treason;  while  every  citizen  liable  to  military 
duty  was  declared  subject  to  draft  into  active  service  at  Jack- 
son's will,  and  an  oath  of  obedience  to  the  state  executive 
exacted." 

To  support  him  in  his  treasonable  exercise  of  power, 
among  the  men  chosen  by  Governor  Jackson  was  John  B. 
Clark,  the  man  whom  Boggs  had  selected  as  a  willing  tool  and 
whom  Jackson  now  found  pliant  to  his  purpose.  Another  of 


290  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

the  mob  officers,  Sterling  Price,  was  now  made  by  Jackson, 
Major-General  of  the  state  forces. 

Poor  Missouri  atoned  with  rivers  of  blood  and  tears  for 
her  sin  against  herself  in  permitting  the  executive  to  usurp 
unlawful  authority.  The  precedent  of  Boggs'  exercise  of 
power  was  handed  down.  In  the  day  of  the  persecution  of 
the  Saints,  a  court  had  decided  that  belief  in  the  Bible  was 
treason  against  the  government.  The  idea  had  moved  with 
terrible  momentum;  for  here  we  find  in  1861  that,  "even  ver- 
bal opposition  to  the  governor's  assumption  of  authority  was 
constituted  treason." 

It  is  true  that  with  any  kind  of  a  population  Missouri 
must  have  taken  part  either  for  or  against  the  Union ;  but  it  is 
also  true  that  the  existence  within  her  boundaries  of  thousands 
of  lawless  wretches  who  loved  plunder  and  rapine,  largely 
increased  her  sufferings.  The  entire  state  was  punished  for 
permitting  the  massacre  of  the  Saints  to  go  unchecked  and 
for  encouraging  the  spirit  of  plunder  by  rewarding  the  mobo- 
crats  with  money  from  the  state  treasury.  Men  learned  to  live 
by  murder  and  rapine.  It  cost  Missouri  dearly  to  get  rid  of 
the  evil,  but  happily  for  her  much  of  the  bad  element  was 
eliminated.  Many  of  the  old  mobocrats  suffered  all  the  tor- 
tures wrhich  they  had  inflicted. 

But  Missouri  largely  purged  herself  of  the  vile  element, 
and  after  the  strife  was  ended  better  men  and  better  sentiments 
came  into  the  ascendency.  Some  of  the  men  who  had  been- 
averse  to  mobocratic  violence  against  the  Latter-day  Saints 
believed  that  retribution  would  come.  They  lived  to  see  the 
day  of  atonement  and  to  participate  in  a  local  reconstruction 
and  a  restoration  of  better  things. 

The  constituency  of  the  mob  is  thus  described  by  the 
Prophet,  in  a  letter  dated  at  Commerce,  Illinois,  May  17th, 
1839: 

"  We  have  not  at  any  time  thought  there  was  any  political 
party,  as  such,  chargeable  with  the  Missouri  barbarities,  neither 
any  religious  society,  as  such.  They  were  committed  by  a 
mob  composed  of  all  parties,  regardless  of  all  difference  of 
opinion  either  political  or  religious." 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  291 

And  at  a  later  day  in  repeating  this  view,  he  said : 

"  We  consider  that  in  making  these  remarks,  we  express 
the  sentiments  of  the  Church  in  general  as  well  as  our  own 
individually,  and  also  when  we  say  in  conclusion,  that  we  feel 
the  fullest  confidence,  that  when  the  subject  of  our  wrongs  has 
been  fully  investigated  by  the  authorities  of  the  United  States, 
we  shall  receive  the  most  perfect  justice  at  their  hands;  whilst 
our  unfeeling  oppressors  shall  be  brought  to  condign  punish- 
ment, with  the  approbation  of  a  free  and  enlightened  people, 
without  respect  to  sect  or  party." 


CHAPTER  XLIY. 

THE     LOCATION     OF    COMMERCE NAUVOO,     THE      BEAUTIFUL PITY 

FROM    PROMINENT    MEN    IN    ILLINOIS A    DAY    OF    MIRACLES 

THE     PROPHET     RAISES     THE     SICK     AT      THE     SOUND     OF     HIS 

VOICE — JOSEPH      SOUNDS      THE      TRUMP       OF       WARNING THE 

MISSION      OF     THE       APOSTLES THEIR       SELF-SACRIFICE     AND 

COURAGE CONFERENCE    AT    COMMERCE. 

IT  was  a  sudden  shifting  of  scenes  from  Missouri  to  Illinois  in 
that  sad  springtime  of  1839. 

An  examination  had  been  made  of  lands  in  Iowa,  and 
tracts  were  eventually  secured  there;  but  the  beauty  of  the 
site  of  Commerce  and  the  hospitality  evinced  by  the  people  of 
Illinois  were  great  attractions  and  decided  the  Prophet  upon 
making  the  location  at  that  place.  It  was  on  the  1st  day  of 
May  that  Joseph  made  the  first  purchase  of  lands  in  that 
locality.  The  town  consisted  of  only  six  houses;  the  land  was 
covered  with  trees  and  brush ;  and  the  soil  was  so  wet  that 
teams  mired  in  the  streets.  The  climate  was  very  unhealthy; 
but  the  Prophet  knew  that  the  blessing  of  God  would  make 
it  a  fit  habitation  for  His  Saints. 

It  was  a  magnificent  site,  overlooking  the  Mississippi 
which  swept  around  it  in  a  half  circle,  giving  the  place  three 


292  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

fronts  upon  the  noble  river.  Because  of  the  loveliness  of  the 
site  the  name  of  Commerce  was  changed  to  !N"auvoo  which 
means  in  Hebrew,  the  fair  or  beautiful. 

The  woes  of  the  Saints  while  in  Missouri  had  been 
observed  with  an  eye  of  pity  from  Illinois.  Such  monstrous 
crime  against  an  unoffending  people  shocked  the  patriotism 
and  humanity  of  all  who  witnessed  it,  and  the  people  ot 
Illinois  wondered  how  the  Missourians  could  be  so  lost  to  all 
sense  of  justice  and  mercy  as  to  commit  these  acts  of  murder 
and  pillage.  Under  date  of  May  8,  1839,  Governor  Thomas 
Carlin,  Senator  Richard  M.  Young,  and  many  other  promi- 
nent citizens  of  Illinois,  wrote  a  letter  to  all  whom  it  might  con- 
cern, in  which  they  spoke  of  "  the  suffe rings  of  this  unfortunate 
people  [the  Saints],  stripped  as  they  have  been  of  their  all, 
and  now  scattered  throughout  this  part  of  the  state.  We  say 
to  the  charitable  and  benevolent,  you  need  have  no  fear,  but 
your  contributions  in  aid  of  humanity  will  be  properly  applied 
if  entrusted  to  the  hands  of  Mr.  [John  P.]  Greene.  He  is 
authorized  by  his  church  to  act  in  the  premises;  and  we  most 
cordially  bear  testimony  to  his  piety  and  worth  as  a  citizen.'' 

It  was  on  the  10th  day  of  May  that  Joseph  arrived  with 
his  family  at  the  Commerce  purchase,  taking  up  his  abode  in 
a  small  log  cabin  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  thankful  to  get 
even  this  poor  shelter. 

Joseph  had  been  as  much  a  sufferer  as  any  among  the 
Saints.  He  and  his  family  were  in  a  state  of  utter  destitution 
as  were  his  brethren  and  sisters  when  the  location  was  made 
at  Nauvoo.  His  own  afflictions  and  poverty  showed  him  what 
the  Saints  were  enduring,  and  he  ministered  among  them 
with  the  unselfishness  and  vigor  of  his  life.  The  people 
looked  to  him  for  counsel  and  help  from  day  to  day ;  and  he 
found  time,  in  all  the  multiplicity  of  the  business  thrust  upon 
him,  to  aid  and  advise  each  individual  according  to  his  needs. 
It  was  almost  a  work  of  creation  from  chaos  to  gather  the 
scattered  people  and  establish  the  community  in  one  spot,  to 
feed  and  clothe  and  house  the  destitute  and  afflicted. 

The  region  surrounding  Nauvoo  had  been  too  sickly  for 
other  settlers,  and  soon  after  the  Saints  reached  there  they 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  293 

suffered  greatly  from  malaria.  Joseph  had  filled  his  house 
and  tents  with  the  sick,  and  through  his  exertions  in  their 
behalf  and  his  other  labors  he  was  soon  prostrated.  But  on 
the  morning  of  the  22nd  day  of  July,  1839,  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  rested  powerfully  upon  him,  and  he  arose  from  his  own 
bed  and  commenced  to  administer  to  the  sick  who  were 
at  his  place.  He  commanded  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  arise  and  be  made  whole;  and  all 
who  heard  him  in  faith  were  healed.  The  events  of  that  day 
of  miracles  are  thus  minutely  described  in  the  journal  of 
President  Wilford  Woodruff,  which  was  written  at  the 
time: 

"Many  lay  sick  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  Joseph 
walked  along  up  to  the  lower  stone  house,  occupied  by  Sidney 
Rigdon,  and  he  healed  all  the  sick  that  lay  in  his  path. 
Among  the  number  was  Henry  G.  Sherwood,  who  was  nigh 
unto  death.  Joseph  stood  in  the  mouth  of  his  tent  and  com- 
manded him  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  arise  and  come 
out  of  his  tent,  and  he  obeyed  him  and  was  healed.  Brother 
Benjamin  Brown  and  his  family  also  lay  sick,  the  former 
appearing  to  be  in  a  dying  condition.  Joseph  healed  them  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord.  After  healing  all  that  lay  sick  upon 
the  bank  of  the  river  as  far  as  the  stone  house,  he  called  upon 
Elder  Kim  ball  and  some  others  to  accompany  him  across  the 
river  to  visit  the  sick  at  Montrose.  Many  of  the  Saints  were 
living  at  the  old  military  barracks.  Among  the  number  were 
several  of  the  Twelve.  On  his  arrival,  the  first  house  he  vis- 
ited was  that  occupied  by  Elder  Brigham  Young,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve,  Avho  lay  sick.  Joseph 
healed  him,  when  he  arose  and  accompanied  the  Prophet  on 
his  visit  to  others  who  were  in  the  same  condition.  They  vis- 
ited Elder  W.  Woodruff,  also  Elders  Orson  Pratt  and  John 
Taylor,  all  of  whom  were  living  in  Montrose.  They  also 
accompanied  him.  The  next  place  they  visited  was  the  home 
of  Elijah  Fordham,  who  was  supposed  to  be  about  breathing 
his  last.  When  the  company  entered  the  room  the  Prophet  of 
God  walked  up  to  the  dying  man,  and  took  hold  of  his  right 
hand  and  spoke  to  him;  but  Brother  Fordham  was  unable  to 
speak,  his  eyes  were  set  in  his  head  like  glass,  and  he  seemed 
entirely  unconscious  of  all  around  him.  Joseph  held  his  hand 
and  looked  into  his  eyes  in  silence  for  a  length  of  time.  A 
change  in  the  countenance  of  Brother  Fordham  was  soon  per- 
ceptible to  all  present.  His  sight  returned,  and  upon  Joseph 


294  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

asking  him  if  he  knew  him,  he,  in  a  low  whisper,  answered 
'  Yes.'  Joseph  asked  him  if  he  had  faith  to  be  healed.  He 
answered,  <  I  fear  it  is  too  late;  if  you  had  come  sooner  I 
think  I  could  have  been  healed.'  The  Prophet  said,  'Do  you 
not  believe  in  Jesus  Christ?'  He  answered  in  a  feeble  voice, 
'I  do.'  Joseph  then  stood  erect,  still  holding  his  hand  in 
silence  several  moments,  then  he  spoke  in  a  very  loud  voice, 
saying,  'Brother  Fordham,  I  command  you  in  the  name  ot 
Jesus  Christ  to  arise  from  this  bed  and  be  made  whole.'  His 
voice  was  like  the  voice  of  God,  and  not  of  man.  It  seemed 
as  though  the  house  shook  to  its  very  foundation.  Brother 
Fordham  arose  from  his  bed  and  was  immediately  made 
whole.  His  feet  were  bound  in  poultices,  which  he  kicked 
oif,  then  putting  on  his  clothes  he  ate  a  bowl  of  bread  and 
milk  and  followed  the  Prophet  into  the  street.  The  company 
next  visited  Brother  Joseph  Bates  Noble,  who  lay  very  sick. 
He  also  was  healed  by  the  Prophet.  By  this  time  the  wicked 
became  alarmed,  and  followed  the  company  into  Brother 
Noble's  house.  After  Brother  Noble  was  healed  all  kneeled 
down  to  pray.  Brother  Fordham  was  mouth,  and,  while 
praying,  he  tell  to  the  floor.  The  Prophet  arose,  and  looking 
round,  he  saw  quite  a  number  of  unbelievers  in  the  house, 
whom  he  ordered  out.  When  the  room  was  cleared  of  them 
Brother  Fordham  came  to  and  finished  his  prayer. 

"  After  healing  the  sick  in  Montrose,  all  the  company  fol- 
lowed Joseph  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  he  was  going  to 
take  the  boat  to  return  home.  While  waiting  for  the  boat  a 
man  from  the  west,  who  had  seen  that  the  sick  and  dying 
were  healed,  asked  Joseph  if  he  would  not  go  to  his  house  and 
heal  two  of  his  children,  who  were  very  sick.  They  were 
twins  and  were  three  months  old.  Joseph  told  the  man  he 
could  not  go;  but  he  would  send  some  one  to  heal  them.  He 
told  Elder  Woodruff  to  go  with  the  man  and  heal  his  chil- 
dren. At  the  same  time  he  took  from  his  pocket  a  silk  ban- 
danna handkerchief,  and  gave  it  to  Brother  Woodruff,  telling 
him  to  wipe  the  faces  of  the  children  with  it  and  they  should 
be  healed;  and  remarked  at  the  same  time  :' '  As  long  as  you 
keep  that  handkerchief  it  shall  remain  a  league  between  you 
and  me.' "  Elder  Woodruff  did  as  he  was  commanded,  and  the 
children  were  healed,  and  he  keeps  the  handkerchief  to  this 
day. 

"  There  were  many  sick  whom  Joseph  could  not  visit,  so 
he  counseled  the  Twelve  to  go  and  visit  and  heal  them,  and 
many  were  healed  under  their  hands.  On  the  day  following 
that  upon  which  the  above  described  events  took  place  Joseph 
sent  Elders  George  A.  and  Don  Carlos  Smith  up  the  river  to 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  295 

heal  the  sick.  They  went  up  as  far  as  Ebenezer  Robinson's— 
one  or  two  miles,  and  did  as  they  were  commanded,  and  the 
sick  were  healed." 

With  the  summer  the  building  of  the  city  was  begun ; 
also  settlements  were  established  across  the  river  in  Iowa. 

Joseph  bestowed  constant  attention  upon  the  spiritual  as 
well  as  the  temporal  interests  of  the  people.  He  gave  them 
many  important  points  of  doctrine  at  this  time ;  and  he  labored 
as  a  missionary  among  both  Saints  and  strangers  throughout 
the  regions  surrounding.  His  efforts  and  those  of  his  brethren, 
the  Apostles,  in  preaching  the  gospel  bore  rich  fruit.  There 
were  many  sincere  people  who  were  seeking  for  light  and  these 
soon  joined  the  ranks  of  the  believers. 

The  material  welfare  of  the  Saints  increased  marvelously; 
the  marshy  wilderness  on  the  Mississippi  banks  soon  grew  to 
be  a  solid  resting  place  for  their  weary  feet.  The  Twelve,  on 
whom  the  burden  of  the  exodus  from  Missouri  had  fallen, 
were  now  preparing  for  their  mission  to  England;  but  before 
they  went  Joseph  uttered  the  warning  sound  which  was  to 
penetrate  to  the  ends  of  the  earth : 

"  The  signs  of  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  are  already 
commenced.  One  pestilence  will  desolate  after  another.  We 
shall  soon  see  war  and  bloodshed.  The  moon  will  be  turned 
into  blood.  I  testify  of  these  things,  and  that  the  coming  of 
the  Son  of  Man  is  nigh,  even  at  your  doors.  If  our  souls  are 
not  looking  forth  for  Him,  we  shall  be  among  those  to  call  for 
the  rocks  to  fall  upon  us. 

*  #  *  *  *  *  * 

"I  see  men  hunting  the  lives  of  their  own  sons,  and 
brother  murdering  brother,  women  killing  their  own  daugh- 
ters, and  daughters  seeking  the  lives  of  their  mothers.  I  see 
armies  arrayed  against  armies.  I  see  blood,  fire,  desolation. 
Jesus  has  said  that  the  mother  shall  be  against  the  daughter, 
and  the  daughter  against  the  mother.  These  things  are  at  our 
doors.  They  will  follow  the  Saints  of  God  from  city  to  city. 
I  know  not  how  soon  these  things  will  take 
place;  and  after  a  view  of  them,  shall  I  cry  peace?  No!  I 
will  lift  up  my  voice  arid  testify  of  them." 

The  Apostles  shared  in  his  zeal.  About  the  1st  of  July, 
1839,  six  of  them,  all  who  were  then  at  that  point — Brigham 


296  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  John  E.  Page,  Wilford  Woodruff, 
John  Taylor  and  George  A.  Smith,  addressed  a  communica- 
tion to  the  Elders  of  the  Church,  to  all  the  branches,  and  to  all 
the  Saints  scattered  abroad  wherever  they  might  be.  Their 
epistle  was  so  pleasing  to  the  Prophet  that  he  embodied  it  in 
his  personal  journal,  and  from  it  the  following  sentiments  are 
selected : 

"  Many  of  you  have  been  driven  from  your  homes,  robbed 
of  your  possessions,  and  deprived  of  the  liberty  of  conscience. 
You  have  been  stripped  of  your  clothing,  plundered  of  jour 
furniture,  robbed  of  your  horses,  your  cattle,  your  sheep,  your 
hogs,  and  refused  the  protection  of  law;  you  have  been  sub- 
ject to  insult  and  abuse,  from  a  set  of  lawless  miscreants; 
you  have  had  to  endure  cold,  nakedness,  peril  and  sword; 
your  wives  and  your  children  have  been  deprived  of  the  com- 
forts of  life ;  you  have  been  subject  to  bonds,  to  imprisonment, 
to  banishment,  and  many  to  death, '  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus, 
and  for  the  word  of  God.'  Many  ot  your  brethren,  with 
those  whose  souls  are  now  beneath  the  altars,  are  crying  for  the 
vengeance  of  heaven  to  rest  upon  the  heads  of  their  devoted 
murderers,  and  saying,  'How  long,  0  Lord,  holy  and  true, 
dost  Thou  not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  them  that  dwell 
on  the  earth? '  But  it  was  said  to  them,  that  they  should  rest 
yet  for  a  little  season,  until  their  fellow-servants  also,  and  their 
brethren  that  should  be  killed  as  they  were,  should  be  fulfilled. 

"Dear  brethren,  we  should  remind  you  of  this  thing;  and 
.although  you  have  had  indignities,  insults,  and  injuries  heaped 
upon  you,  till  further  suffering  would  seem  to  be  no  longer  a 
virtue;  we  would  say,  be  patient,  dear  brethren,  for  as  saith 
the  Apostle,  '  ye  have  need  of  patience,  that  after  being  tried 
you  may  inherit  the  promise/  You  have  been  tried  in  the 
furnace  of  affliction;  the  time  to  exercise  patience  is  now 
come;  and  we  shall  reap,  brethren,  in  due  time  if  we  faint 
not.  Do  not  breathe  vengeance  upon  your  oppressors,  but 
leave  the  case  in  the  hands  of  God;  '  for  vengeance  is  mine, 
saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will  repay.' 

"  We  would  say  to  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  to  the  desti- 
tute, and  to  the  diseased,  who  have  been  made  so  through 
persecution,  be  patient;  you  are  not  forgotten ;  the  God  of 
Jacob  has  His  eye  upon  you ;  the  heavens  have  been  witness 
to  your  sufferings,  and  they  are  registered  on  high;  angels 
have  gazed  upon  the  scene,  and  your  tears,  your  groans,  your 
sorrows,  and  anguish  of  heart,  are  had  in  remembrance  before 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  297 

God;  they  have  entered  into  the  sympathies  of  that  bosom 
who  is  'touched  with  the  feelings  of  our  infirmities/  who  was 
^tempted  in  all  points  like  unto  you;'  they  have  entered  into 
the  oars  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth;  be  patient  then,  until  the 
words  of  God  be  fulfilled,  and  His  designs  accomplished;  and 
then  shall  He  pour  out  His  vengeance  upon  the  devoted  heads 
•of  your  murderers ;  and  then  shall  they  know  that  He  is  God, 

and  that  you  are  His  people. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

"We  wish  to  stimulate  all  the  brethren  to  faithfulness; 
^ou  have  been  tried,  you  are  now  being  tried ;  and  those  trials, 
if  you  are  not  watchful,  will  corrode  upon  the  mind,  and  pro- 
duce unpleasant  feelings;  but  recollect  that  now  is  the  time  of 
trial;  goon  the  victory  will  be  ours;  now  may  be  a  day  of  lam- 
entation— then  will  be  a  day  of  rejoicing;  now  may  be  a  day 
of  sorrow — but  by  and  by  we  shall  see  the  Lord  ;  our  sorrow 
will  be  turned  into  joy,  and  our  joy  no  man  taketh  from  us. 
Be  honest;  be  men  of  truth  and  integrity;  let  your  word  be 
your  bond;  be  diligent,  be  prayerful;  pray  for  and  with  your 
families;  train  up  your  children  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord;  culti- 
vate a  meek,  a  quiet  spirit;  clothe  the  naked,  feed  the  hungry, 
help  the  destitute,  be  merciful  to  the  widow  and  orphan,  be 
merciful  to  your  brethren,  and  to  all  men;  bear  with  one 
another's  infirmities,  considering  your  own  weakness;  bring 

no  railing  accusation  against  your  brethren. 

******* 

"  We  are  glad,  dear  brethren,  to  see  that  spirit  of  enter- 
prise and  perseverance  which  is  manifested  by  you  in  regard 
to  preaching  the  gospel;  and  rejoice  to  know  that  neither 
bonds  nor  imprisonment,  banishment  nor  exile,  poverty  nor 
contempt,  nor  all  the  combined  powers  of  earth  and  hell,  hin- 
der you  from  delivering  your  testimony  to  the  world,  and  pub- 
lishing those  glad  tidings  which  have  been  revealed  from 
heaven  by  the  ministering  of  angels,  by  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  by  the  power  of  God,  for  the  salvation  of  the 
world  in  these  last  days.  And  we  would  say  to  you  that  the 
hearts  of  the  Twelve  are  with  you,  and  they  with  you  are 
•determined  to  fulfill  their  mission,  to  clear  their  garments  of 
the  blood  of  this  generation,  to  introduce  the  gospel  to  foreign 
nations,  and  to  make  known  to  the  world  these  great  things 
God  has  developed.  They  are  now  on  the  eve  of  their  depart- 
ure for  England,  and  will  start  in  a  few  days.  They  feel  to 
pray  for  you,  and  to  solicit  an  interest  in  your  prayers,  and  in 
the  prayers  of  the  Church,  that  God  may  sustain  them  in  their 
arduous  undertaking,  grant  them  success  in  their  mission, 


298  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

deliver  them  from  the  powers  of  darkness,  the  stratagem  of 
wicked  men,  and  all  the  combined  powers  of  earth  and  hell. 
And  if  you  unitedly  seek  after  unity  of  purpose  and  design ; 
if  you  are  men  of  humility,  and  of  faithfulness,  of  integrity 
and  perseverance;  if  you  submit  yourselves  to  the  teachings 
of  heaven,  and  are  guided  by  the  Spirit  of  God:  if  you  at  all 
times  seek  the  glory  of  God  ;  and  the  salvation  of  men,  and 
lay  your  honor  prostrate  in  the  dust,  if  need  be,  and  are  will- 
ing to  fulfill  the  purposes  of  God  in  all  things;  the  power  of 
the  Priesthood  will  rest  upon  you,  and  you  will  become  mighty 
in  testimony;  the  widow  and  the  orphan  will  be  made  glad, 
and  the  poor  among  men  rejoice  in  the  Holy  One  of  Israel." 

The  bond  between  the  Prophet  and  his  brethren,  the 
Apostles,  was  close  and  strong.  He  relied  upon  them,  con- 
fided in  them  and  showed  them  all  the  respect  which  their 
nobility  of  soul  deserved.  In  their  exercise  of  authority  dur- 
ing his  incarceration  in  Missouri  he  gave  them  cordial  sup- 
port, subsequently  having  all  their  acts  ratified  by  the  voice  of 
the  general  conference.  When  he  escaped  from  captivity  and 
joined  them  in  Illinois,  the  love  with  which  he  greeted  them 
was  like  that  of  brother  for  brothers.  Brigham  Young,  writ- 
ing of  the  meeting,  says : 

"It  was  one  of  the  most  joyful  scenes  of  my  life  to  once 
more  strike  hands  with  the  Prophet,  and  behold  him  and  his 
companions  free  from  the  hands  of  their  enemies.  Joseph 
conversed  with  us  like  a  man  who  had  just  escaped  from  a 
thousand  oppressions,  and  was  now  free  in  the  midst  of  his 
children." 

Joseph  met  with  the  Apostles  frequently  before  their 
departure,  praying  for  them  and  blessing  them  for  their  work. 
He  also  attended  their  farewell  meetings  and  added  his  voice 
to  the  instructions  which  they  gave  to  the  Saints  at  Nauvoo 
before  departing  to  engage  in  the  vast  work  in  the  Old  World. 
Elder  Parley  P.  Pratt,  now  freed  from  prison,  and  Elder  Orson 
Pratt  were  with  them.  In  the  months  of  August  and  Sep- 
tember seven  of  the  Twelve  departed  on  their  mission  to 
England. 

Elders  John  Taylor  and  Wilford  Woodruff  were  the 
first,  leaving  on  the  8th  day  of  August,  1839.  Elder  Wood- 
ruff arose  from  the  bed  to  which  he  had  been  confined  for  two 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  299 

weeks  in  order  to  start  on  this  journey.  Both  of  these  devoted 
men  left  their  no  less  devoted  families  at  Montrose  in  sickness 
and  poverty  and  distress;  and  yet  all  relying  upon  the  Lord 
for  preservation  and  blessing.  Elders  Taylor  and  Woodruff 
started  together  without  purse  or  scrip. 

Elders  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  Orson  Pratt,  making  all  nec- 
essary sacrifices,  departed  from  Nauvoo  on  the  29th  of 
August. 

Elders  Brigham  Young  and  Heber  C.  Kimball  started 
together  on  the  18th  of  September,  1839.  Brigham  was  so 
sick  that  he  was  unable  to  walk  a  few  rods  down  to  the  river 
without  assistance.  He  left  his  wife  ill  with  a  babe  only  ten 
days  old,  and  all  his  other  children  helpless.  Heber  was  in 
the  same  plight.  His  wife  and  all  her  children  but  one  were 
prostrated.  After  Brigham  and  Heber  had  traveled  thirteen 
miles  on  their  journey,  they  stopped  at  the  residence  of  a 
friend  and  were  so  feeble  as  to  be  unable  to  carry  into  the 
house  their  trunks,  which  contained  the  very  few  articles  of 
clothing  they  were  able  to  take  with  them.  In  less  than  a 
month  after  their  departure  President  Brigham  Young's 
father,  John  Young,  died  at  Quincy,  Adams  County,  Illinois; 
so  when  Brigham  bade  his  father  farewell  to  go  on  this  mis- 
sion, the  parting  was  for  the  remainder  of  their  earthly  lives. 
John  Young  was  a  noble  man :  he  had  been  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolution.  At  his  death  the  Prophet  said  of  him  : 

"  He  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  everlasting  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ;  and  fell  asleep  under  the  influence  of  that  faith  which 
buoyed  up  his  soul,  in  the  pangs  of  death,  to  glorious  hope  of 
immortality;  fully  testifying  to  all  that  the  religion  he  enjoyed 
in  life  was  able  to  support  him  in  death.  He  was  driven  from 
Missouri  with  the  Saints ;  *  *  *  he  died  a  martyr  to 
the  religion  of  Jesus,  for  his  death  was  caused  by  his  sufferings 
in  that  cruel  persecution." 

On  the  21st  of  September,  1839,  Elder  George  A.  Smith 
departed  for  England.  He  left  his  father,  mother,  sister  and 
brother  sick  in  a  log  stable,  all  unable  to  help  themselves  or 
each  other.  He,  himself,  was  so  emaciated  that  after  he  was  a 
little  way  on  his  journey,  he  met  some  men  who  cried  out: 
"  Somebody  has  been  robbing  a  graveyard  of  a  skeleton." 


300  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Three  other  men  started  with  the  Apostles;  Hiram  Clark 
in  company  with  Parley  and  Orson,  and  Theodore  Turley  and 
Reuben  Hedlock  in  company  with  George  A.  Smith. 

This  was  the  sublime  missionary  movement  of  the  Apos- 
tles. How  like  the  grain  of  mustard  seed!  Leaving  the 
people  of  God  in  sickness  and  in  poverty,  they  themselves 
being  on  the  verge  of  the  grave,  these  disciples  of  Jesus  went 
forth  to  proclaim  the  gospel  of  redemption.  If  their  faith  had 
not  been  such  as  not  to  be  shaken,  the  world  never  more  would 
have  heard  of  their  endeavor.  But  it  was  firm  and  steadfast, 
and  God  rewarded  it;  and  the  little  mustard  seed  quickened 
and  grew  and  became  a  mighty  tree.  The  Prophet  said  of 
them : 

"  Perhaps  no  men  ever  undertook  such  an  important  mis- 
sion under  such  peculiarly  distressing,  forbidding  and  unpro- 
pitious  circumstances.  Most  of  them  *  *  *  were  worn 
down  with  sickness  and  disease  or  were  taken  sick  on  the 
road.  Several  of  their  families  were  also  afflicted  and  needed 
their  aid  and  support.  But  knowing  that  they  had  been  called 
by  the  God  of  heaven  to  preach  the  gospel  to  other  nations, 
they  conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood,  but,  obedient  to  the 
heavenly  mandate,  without  purse  or  scrip,  commenced  a  jour- 
ney of  five  thousand  miles  entirely  dependent  on  the  provi- 
dence of  that  God  who  had  called  them  to  such  a  holy  call- 
ing." 

The  Twelve  faltered  not  an  instant  in  their  appointed 
labor,  and  while  they  spread  abroad  the  tidings  of  salvation, 
the  Prophet  in  Nauvoo  was  directing  the  gathering  Saints  that 
they  might  build  a  city  whose  loveliness  and  greatness  should 
attract  the  eye  of  every  beholder. 

On  the  5th  day  of  October,  1839,  a  general  conference  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  was  convened 
at  Nauvoo,  at  which  it  was  decided  to  establish  there  a  stake 
of  Zion  and  to  organize  a  branch  of  the  Church  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river  in  Iowa  Territory,  and  officers  were 
appointed  to  preside  and  officiate  in  the  stake  and  over  the 
branch. 

At  this  same  conference  it  was  resolved  that  Joseph 
Smith,  accompanied  by  Elias  Higbee  and  Sidney  Rigdon, 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  301 

should  proceed  to  Washington  to  lay  before  the  President  and 
Congress    of  the   nation    the   wrongs   which    the   Saints  had 

endured. 


CHAPTER  XLY. 

REASONS     FOR     AN     APPEAL     TO     WASHINGTON JOSEPH     AND     COM- 
PANIONS DEPART  FOR  THE  NATIONAL  CAPITAL THE  PROPHET'S 

ACT  OF  PHYSICAL  HEROISM HE    SEES    INGRATITUDE MARTIN 

VAN  BUREN  AND  JOSEPH    SMITH THE    LATTER'S    SCORN — COW- 
ARDICE   AND  CHICANERY "YOUR    CAUSE    IS    JUST,  BUT    I    CAN 

DO  NOTHING  FOR  YOU." 

THE  Saints  had  suffered  innocently  in  Missouri;  they  had 
appealed  in  vain  for  redress ;  they  were  impoverished  through 
the  rohberies  which  had  been  perpetrated  upon  them;  and 
their  old  men,  delicate  women,  and  little  children,  even  after 
the  gathering  to  Nauvoo,  were  dying  of  privations. 

These  were  material  reasons  for  an  application  to  the 
national  government  for  succor;  and  besides  these,  the 
Prophet  knew  that  the  Lord  required  this  appeal  to  be  made 
that — upon  the  answer  thereto — the  nation's  responsibility  for 
the  barbarities  might  te  judged. 

On  Tuesday,  the  29th  day  of  October,  1839,  Joseph  and 
his  companions  departed  from  Nauvoo.  At  Columbus,  Ohio, 
Joseph  was  obliged  to  leave  Sidney  Rigdon  in  the  care  of 
attendants,  as  Sidney's  frail  health  made  travel  slow  and  the 
Prophet's  business  required  expedition;  so  Joseph  went  on 
with  Judge  Elias  Higbee. 

Joseph  and  Judge  Higbee  traveled  in  the  coach ;  and  on 
the  way  while  they  were  passing  through  the  mountains  the 
driver  of  the  stage  stopped  at  a  public  house  to  get  some 


302  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

liquor.  While  he  was  gone,  the  horses  took  fright  and  ran 
down  a  steep  hill,  at  full  speed.  The  coach  was  crowded  with 
passengers,  some  of  whom  were  members  of  Congress,  with 
two  or  three  ladies.  There  was  very  much  excitement  in  the 
vehicle.  Joseph  did  all  he  could  to  calm  his  fellow-passengers 
and  was  able  to  reassure  most  of  them.  But  he  had  to  hold  one 
woman  to  keep  her  from  throwing  her  infant  out  of  the  stage 
window.  As  soon  as  he  got  the  people  in  the  coach  under 
control,  he  opened  the  door;  and,  securing  his  hold  011  the 
side,  he  climbed  up  into  the  driver's  seat,  a  feat  requiring 
physical  strength  as  well  as  nerve  and  a  cool  head,  for  the 
stage  was  pitching  and  rolling  like  a  boat  in  a  storm.  He 
instantly  seized  the  lines  and  stopped  the  maddened  steeds. 
They  had  run  about  three  miles;  but  the  coach,  horses  and 
passengers  all  escaped  without  injury — thanks  to  Joseph's 
presence  of  mind  and  courage.  The  passengers  praised  him 
extravagantly;  they  thought  his  conduct  most  heroic;  and 
the  members  of  Congress  even  went  so  far  as  to  suggest  that 
the  incident  should  be  mentioned  to  that  body,  as  such  a  deed 
of  daring  deserved  a  public  recognition.  But  upon  inquiring 
of  Joseph  what  his  name  was,  in  order  to  mention  it  as  that  of 
the  hero  who  had  saved  their  lives,  they  found  that  their 
deliverer  was  Joseph  Smith,  the  "Mormon  Prophet."  The 
mere  mention  of  the  name  was  sufficient  for  them;  and  he 
heard  no  more  of  their  praise,  gratitude  or  promises  of  reward. 

Joseph  and  his  companion  reached  Washington  on  the 
28th  day  of  November,  1839;  and  secured  rooms  at  the  corner 
of  Missouri  and  Third  streets.  The  Prophet  determined  that 
the  cause  of  his  people  should  be  vigorously  presented.  He 
visited  the  leading  men  of  the  nation,  including  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  Martin  Van  Buren.  He  had  prepared 
for  presentation  to  Congress  an  eloquent  memorial  in  which 
was  plainly  stated  the  crime  of  Missouri.  Nothing  was  set 
down  in  malice;  but  the  facts  were  all  given  in  such  a  straight- 
forward way  that  they  formed  apparently  an  irresistible  argu- 
ment. 

The  closing  paragraphs  of  this  paper  must  be  here  pre- 
sented : 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  303 

"  The  above  statement  will  also  show,  that  the  Mormons 
on  all  occasions  submitted  to  the  laws  of  the  land,  and  yielded 
to  its  authority  in  every  extremity,  and  at  every  hazard,  at  the 
risk  of  life  and  property.  The  above  statement  will  illustrate 
another  truth :  that  wherever  the  Mormons  made  any  resist- 
ance to  the  mob,  it  was  in  self-defence;  and  for  these  acts  of 
self-defence  they  always  had  the  authority  and  sanction  of  the 
officers  of  the  law  for  so  doing.  Yet  they,  to  the  number  of 
about  fifteen  thousand  souls,  have  been  driven  from  their 
homes  in  Missouri.  Their  property,  to  the  amount  of  two 
millions  of  dollars,  has  been  taken  from  them  or  destroyed. 
Some  of  them  have  been  murdered,  beaten,  bruised  or  lamed, 
and  have  all  been  driven  forth,  wandering  over  the  world 
without  homes,  without  property. 

"But  the  loss  of  property  does  not  comprise  half  their 
sufferings.  They  were  human  beings,  possessed  of  human 
feelings  and  human  sympathies.  Their  agony  of  soul  was  the 
bitterest  drop  in  the  cup  of  their  sorrows. 

"For  these  wrongs,  the  Mormons  ought  to  have  some 
redress;  yet  how  and  where  shall  they  seek  and  obtain  it? 
Your  constitution  guarantees  to  every  citizen,  even  the 
humblest,  the  enjoyment  of  life,  liberty  and  property.  It 
promises  to  all,  religious  freedom,  the  right  to  all  to  worship 
God  beneath  their  own  vine  and  fig  tree,  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  their  conscience.  It  guarantees  to  all  the  citizens  of 
the  several  states  the  right  to  become  citizens  of  any  one  of 
the  states,  and  to  enjoy  all  the  rights  and  immunities  of  the 
citizens  of  the  state  of  his  adoption.  Yet  of  all  these  rights 
have  the  Mormons  been  deprived.  They  have,  without  a 
cause,  without  a  trial  been  deprived  of  life,  liberty,  and  pro- 
perty. They  have  been  persecuted  for  their  religious  opinions. 
They  have  been  driven  from  the  state  of  Missouri,  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet,  and  prevented  from  enjoying  and  exercising 
the  rights  of  citizens  of  the  state  of  Missouri.  It  is  the  theory 
of  our  laws,  that  for  the  protection  of  every  legal  right,  there 
is  provided  a  legal  remedy.  What,  then,  we  would  respectfully 
ask,  is  the  remedy  of  the  Mormons  ?  Shall  they  apply  to 
the  legislature  of  the  state  of  Missouri  for  redress?  They 
have  done  so.  They  have  petitioned,  and  these  petitions  have 
been  treated  with  silence  and  contempt.  Shall  they  apply  to 
the  federal  courts?  They  were,  at  the  time  of  the  injury,  cit- 
izens of  the  state  of  Missouri.  Shall  they  apply  to  the  courts 
of  the  state  of  Missouri  ?  Whom  shall  they  sue  ?  The  order 
for  their  destruction,  their  extermination,  was  granted  by  the 
Executive  of  the  state  of  Missouri.  Is  not  this  a  plea  of  justi- 


304  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

fication  for  the  loss  of  individuals,  done  in  pursuance  of  that 
order?  If  riot,  before  whom  shall  the  'Mormons'  institute  a 
trial?  Shall  they  summon  a  jury  of  the  individuals  who  com- 
posed the  mob  ?  An  appeal  to  them  were  in  vain.  They  dare 
not  go  to  Missouri  to  institute  a  suit;  their  lives  would  be  in 
danger. 

"For  ourselves  we  see  no  redress,  unless  it  is  awarded  by 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  And  here  we  make  our 
appeal  as  American  citizens,  as  Christians,  and  as  Men — believing 
that  the  high  sense  of  justice  which  exists  in  your  honorable 
bodies,  will  not  allow  such  oppression  to  be  practiced  upon 
any  portion  of  the  citizens  of  this  vast  republic  with  impunity ; 
but  that  some  measures  which  your  wisdom  may  dictate,  may 
be  taken,  so  that  the  great  body  of  people  who  have  been 
thus  abused,  may  have  redress  for  the  wrongs  which  they  have 
suffered.  And  to  your  decision  they  look  with  confidence; 
hoping  it  may  be  such  as  shall  tend  to  dry  up  the  tear  of  the 
widow  and  orphan,  and  again  place  in  situations  of  peace, 
those  who  have  been  driven  from  their  homes,  and  have  had 
to  wade  through  scenes  of  sorrow  and  distress." 

And  yet  the  appeal  was  vain,  so  far  as  any  practical  help 
was  concerned.  Some  members  of  Congress  showed  a  great 
deal  of  interest  in  the  Prophet  and  the  cause  which  he  was 
pleading ;  but  after  the  most  earnest  effort,  the  only  result  was 
to  receive  from  Martin  Van  Buren  the  famous,  almost  infamous, 
reply : 

"  YOUR    CAUSE    IS    JUST,    BUT   I    CAN    DO    NOTHING    FOR    YOU." 

And  in  the  sense  of  this  answer,  if  not  in  its  words,  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  coincided.  No  arm  of 
national  power  would  be  outstretched  in  behalf  of  the  Saints. 
As,  early  in  the  Missouri  trouble,  Governor  Dunklin — to 
whom  the  people  appealed,  had  sent  them  back  to  their  plun- 
derers for  redress  and  protection;  so  now  the  President  and 
Congress  of  the  grandest  republic  under  the  sun,  told  them  to 
apply  to  Missouri  to  rectify  the  wrong.  It  was  as  if  one,  who 
had  been  robbed  and  beaten  on  the  public  highway,  should 
apply  to  a  magistrate  for  help  and  should  be  sent  back  to  ask 
the  highwayman  to  restore  his  purse  and  to  pour  balm  on  his 
wounds. 

In  one  of  his  interviews  with  Van  Buren  the  latter  coolly 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  305 

told  the  Prophet:  "  If  I  take  up  for  you,  I  shall  lose  the  votes 
of  Missouri." 

This  response  shocked  Joseph  in  more  than  a  personal 
sense.  He  was  astounded  that  the  flagrant  outrages  com- 
mitted against  his  people  aroused  no  purpose  of  redress;  but 
more  than  this,  he  felt  the  insult  offered  to  every  American 
citizen  when  the  chief  executive  of  this  nation  placed  his  polit- 
ical aspirations  above  his  sense  of  right.  The  Prophet  him- 
self was  a  man  whose  whole  life  was  unstained  by  any  act  of 
fear.  He  knew  the  right  and  dared  all  in  its  accomplishment. 
Before  such  a  man  as  he,  towering  in  all  his  personal  majesty 
and  in  the  grandeur  of  the  cause  he  represented,  how  even 
the  President  of  the  United  States  must  have  cringed  when  he 
confessed  to  the  basest  motives  which  can  animate  a  public  man! 
Joseph  could  not,  upon  hearing  these  words,  disguise  the  con- 
tempt which  he  felt  for  the  occupant  of  that  position  to  which 
every  American  citizen  loves  to  pay  honor.  The  disdain  which 
flashed  from  his  eyes  must  have  made  even  Martin  Van  Buren 
feel  small;  for  it  is  the  universal  testimony  of  enemies  and 
friends  alike,  that  Joseph  Smith's  righteous  scorn  was  terrible 
as  the  lightning  flash. 

It  is  a  historic  picture,  this  meeting  of  the  two  presidents. 
The  subject  of  their  interview  was  justice  for  an  unpopular 
people,  few  in  number  and  .poor  in  earthly  influence.  The 
manner  in  which  the  negotiation  was  carried  on,  clearly  shows 
the  different  natures  of  the  two  men. 

Van  Buren,  a  truckler  to  political  influence  and  power, 
was  on  this  occasion  autocratic  and  insolent.  Your  sycophant 
is  always,  when  opportunity  offers,  a  tyrant.  Van  Buren  was 
no  exception  to  this.  The  opportunity  to  display  the  insolence 
of  office  without  jeopardizing  his  own  interests  was  eagerly 
embraced.  He  doubtless  had  received  his  cue  from  the  trait- 
orous officials  who  had  besmirched  the  escutcheon  of  the 
state  of  Missouri  with  their  foul  crimes  against  the  constitu- 
tion, the  laws  and  the  principles  of  justice,  or  from  those  who 
represented  them,  and  deported  himself  accordingly. 

On  the  other  hand,  his  visitor  was  but  a  private  citizen  in 
a  political  sense,  and  was  the  religious  leader  of  a  mere  hand- 


20 


306  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

ful  of  refugees,  exiled  from  home  and  all  the  comforts  of  this 
life,  and  now  apparently  as  helpless  in  politics  as  they  were 
weak  in  numbers  and  distressed  in  finances.  And  yet  Joseph 
stood  as  an  equal,  overcoming  vain  arrogance  by  natural  dig- 
nity. Before  they  finally  parted  the  advantage  was  all  with 
the  humbler  man;  he  crushed  down  the  insolence  of  Van 
Buren  by  his  personal  kingliness  and  his  declaration  of  the 
principles  of  truth  and  justice. 

Becoming  satisfied  that  there  was  little  use  for  him  to 
further  press  the  claims  of  the  Saints,  Joseph  departed  from 
the  nation's  capital  and  returned  to  Nauvoo,  reaching  there  on 
the  4th  day  of  March,  1840.  While  in  the  east  he  had 
preached  the  gospel  at  every  opportunity,  in  Washington, 
Philadelphia  and  other  places,  and  had  met  with  much  suc- 
cess. And  this  was  a  partial  compensation  for  the  utter  failure 
of  his  appeal. 

After  he  returned  home  he  wrote : 

"I  arrived  safely  at  Nauvoo,  after  a  wearisome  journey, 
through  alternate  snow  and  mud,  having  witnessed  many 
vexatious  movements  in  government  officers,  whose  sole  object 
should  be  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  whole  people;  but 
I  discovered  this,  that  popular  clamor  and  personal  aggran- 
dizement are  the  ruling  principles  of  those  in  authority ;  and 
my  heart  faints  within  me  when  I  see  by  the  visions  of  the 
Almighty,  the  end  of  this  nation  if  she  continues  to  disregard 
the  cries  and  petitions  of  her  virtuous  citizens." 

In  the  Prophet's  absence,  Hyrum  had  acted  as  the  presi- 
dent at  Nauvoo.  He  had  labored  assiduously  for  the  temporal 
as  well  as  the  spiritual  advancement  of  the  people,  to  sustain 
their  bodily  life  and  strength  through  the  trying  winter  and 
their  faith  through  all  the  assaults  of  the  adversary.  He  had 
also  published  an  account  of  the  Missouri  persecutions,  in  the 
Times  and  Seasons,  a  semi-monthly  paper  begun  at  Commerce 
in  November,  1839,  by  Don  Carlos  Smith  and  Ebenezer  Rob- 
inson. 


CHAPTER  XL VI. 

THE    MISSION    OF    THE    APOSTLES MIRACULOUS    OPENING    OF    THEIR 

WAY  TO  THE  OLD    WORLD ORDINATION  OF  WILLARD  RICHARDS 

— SPECIAL  LABORS  OF  EACH  APOSTLE THE  FIRST  IMMIGRANTS 

TO  ZION — JOSEPH'S  LETTERS  OF  INSTRUCTION  AND  COMFORT  TO 
ELDERS  AND  SAINTS  ABROAD. 

"THEY  'went  forth  weeping,  bearing  precious  seed;'  but  they 
'have  returned  with  rejoicing  bearing  their  sheaves  with 
them."' 

This  is  what  the  Prophet  says  of  the  Apostles  and  the 
other  missionaries  who  first  went  out  from  ^N"auvoo.  The 
details  of  the  sublime  work,  which  then  was  resumed  with 
such  unparalleled  vigor  and  which  resulted  in  such  a  marvel- 
ous increase  to  the  Church,  will  soon  be  published  in  another 
work  of  this  series.  There  is  only  space  in  this  volume  for  a 
recognition  of  the  general  movement  and  its  success,  as  Jos- 
eph observed  it  and  as  it  brought  many  precious  souls  to 
restore  the  numerical  strength  and  the  prosperity  of  the 
Saints. 

We  have  seen  how  the  Apostles  went  out  from  the  pov- 
erty of  Nauvoo  and  Montrose.  No  man  who  reads  the  history 
of  that  mission,  undertaken  at  such  a  time,  can  doubt  that 
they  and  their  fellow-missionaries  were  inspired;  for  no  mere 
zealot,  without  the  absolute  consciousness  of  divine  direction 
and  divine  protection,  would  have  joined  the  movement. 

We  shall  now  see  how  these  men  triumphed  over  that 
which  to  human  understanding  was  impossible.  Briefly  told : 

Departing  from  Nauvoo  ill  and  penniless,  they  made  their 
way  across  the  country,  scattering  the  seeds  of  truth  on  every 
hand.  And  before  they  had  reached  the  sea  coast  some  of  the 
harvest  was  ready  to  gather.  Their  way  was  miraculously 
opened  to  them  in  this  land,  that  they  might  have  means  to 
pursue  their  voyage  to  another.  Elders  Taylor  and  Woodruff 


308  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

reached  England  on  the  llth  of  January,  1840,  in  company 
with  Elder  Theodore  Turley.  Elders  Young,  Kimball,  Parley 
P.  and  Orson  Pratt,  and  George  A.  Smith,  accompanied  by 
Elder  Reuben  Hedlock,  landed  at  Liverpool  on  the  6th  day 
of  April,  1840,  just  ten  years  from  the  day  of  the  Church's 
organization.  The  brethren  found  there  Elder  Willard  Rich- 
ards and  ordained  him  to  the  Apostleship  in  obedience  to  the 
revelation.  They  scattered  among  the  honest-in-heart,  and 
each  one  of  them  achieved  a  quick  and  lasting  victory  for  the 
faith.  In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  they  went  forth  healing 
the  sick,  restoring  the  lame  and  opening  the  eyes  of  the  blind. 
In  all  their  labors  they  gave  evidence  of  such  personal  humility, 
bearing  such  a  strong  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  gospel 
that  the  honest-in-heart  nocked  by  hundreds  to  the  standard 
which  they  reared. 

Every  one  among  these  brethren  performed  some  special 
labor  or  occupied  some  special  field.  Elder  Woodruff  made 
the  proclamation  of  the  truth  in  Staffordshire  and  afterwards 
in  Herefordshire,  which  yielded  a  wonderful  harvest  of  fruit. 
Elder  Taylor  organized  a  large  branch  of  the  Church  in  Liver- 
pool and  established  the  gospel  in  Ireland  and  the  Isle  of  Man. 
Elder  Heber  C.  Kimball,  who  had  been  so  successful  on  his 
previous  mission  in  proclaiming  the  gospel  in  Lancashire, 
opened  the  work  in  London;  in  this  labor  he  was  accompanied 
by  Elders  Wilford  Woodruff  and  George  A.  Smith.  In  this 
conference  the  faithful  and  talented  young  Elder,  Lorenzo 
Snow,  now  an  Apostle,  soon  became  president.  Elder  George 
A.  Smith  followed  Elder  Woodruff'  into  Staffordshire,  in  which 
field  he  continued  to  labor  after  Elder  Woodruff  went  to  Here- 
fordshire. Elder  Smith  set  apart  and  directed  Elder  William 
Barrattfor  a  mission  to  South  Australia;  and  about  the  same 
time  William  Donaldson,  an  English  convert,  was  ordained 
and  blessed  to  perform  a  mission  in  the  East  Indies.  Elder 
Willard  Richards  labored  principally  in  Lancashire,  though 
he  spent  some  time  with  Elder  Woodruff  in  Herefordshire. 
Elder  Orson  Pratt  carried  the  work  to  Scotland.  Elder  Par- 
ley P.  Pratt,  under  the  direction  of  President  Brigham  Young 
and  the  other  brethren  of  the  Twelve,  began*  the  publication 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  309 

of  the  Millennial  Star.  President  Brigham  Young  directed 
the  printing  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  hymn  book  and  other 
works,  and  traveled  and  preached  as  opportunity  offered,  being 
looked  up  to  and  sustained  by  his  brother  Apostles  as  their 
President. 

As  early  as  the  6th  of  June,  1840,  a  company  of  Saints 
sailed  from  England  to  make  their  way  to  Nauvoo.  This 
party  consisted  of  forty-one  people,  the  first  to  emigrate  from 
a  foreign  land  to  join  the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ  in  this  last 
dispensation.  Three  months  later  the  ship  North  America 
sailed  with  two  hundred  Saints.  From  this  time  on  the  wrork 
of  immigration  has  been  too  vast  to  be  followed  in  the  brief 
space  now  at  command. 

The  greatness  of  the  work  which  the  brethren  were  to 
perform  in  England  was  revealed  to  Joseph  by  the  Spirit;  and 
he  was  impressed  to  extend  the  missionary  movement  still 
further.  On  the  6th  day  of  April,  1840,  Elder  Orson  Hyde, 
one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  was  directed  to  take  a  mission  to 
Jerusalem.  He  left  his  home  in  Commerce  on  the  15th  of  the 
month  and  in  due  time  he  reached  his  field  and  offered  a 
prayer  to  heaven  from  the  Mount  of  Olives  as  an  introduction 
to  his  work. 

The  preaching  of  the  gospel  in  the  old  world  was  "a  mar- 
velous work  and  a  wonder."  From  the  time  of  the  first  mis- 
sion, Elders  Joseph  Fielding,  Willard  Richards,  and  William 
Clayton,  with  many  other. faithful  brethren,  had  kept  open  the 
source  of  the  stream  by  their  noble  efforts;  but  when  the 
Apostles  landed  there  again  in  obedience  to  divine  revelation, 
and  put  forth  th.eir  hands  the  little  stream  became  an  on-rush- 
ing river  bearing  triumph  for  the  Church  upon  its  bosom. 

From  their  labor  the  work  spread  into  every  land  and  has 
gathered  up  its  tens  of  thousands  of  heroic  and  self-sacrificing 
souls. 

Such  a  foundation  was  laid  that  when  the  majority  of  the 
Apostles  were,  called  home  the  work  continued;  and  it  has 
continued  up  to  the  present  time. 

Joseph's  appreciation  of  their  labor  is  evinced  in  a  letter 
which  he  addressed  to  them  in  October,  1840.  He  says  : 


310  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

" BELOVED  BRETHREN: 

"May  grace,  mercy  and  peace  rest  upon 
you  from  God  the  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  * 
*  Be  assured,  beloved  brethren,  that  I  am  no  disinter- 
ested observer  of  the  things  which  are  transpiring  on  the  face 
of  the  whole  earth ;  and  amidst  the  general  movements  which 
are  in  progress,  none  is  of  more  importance  than  the  glorious 
work  in  which  you  are  now  engaged ;  consequently  I  feel  some 
anxiety  on  your  account,  that  you  may  by  your  virtue,  faith, 
diligence  and  charity,  commend  yourselves  to  one  another,  to 
the  Church  of  Christ,  and  to  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven ; 
by  whose  grace  you  have  been  called  to  so  holy  a  calling;  and 
be  enabled  to  perform  the  great  and  responsible  duties  which 
rest  upon  you.  And  I  can  assure  you,  that  from  the  informa- 
tion I  have  received,  I  feel  satisfied  that  you  have  not  been 
remiss  in  your  duty ;  but  that  your  diligence  and  faithfulness 
have  been  such  as  must  secure  you  the  smiles  of  that  God 
whose  servants  you  are,  and  also  the  good  will  of  the  Saints 
throughout  the  world.  The  spread  of  the  gospel  throughout 

England  is  certainly  pleasing. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

"It  is  likewise  very  satisfactory  to  my  mind,  that  there 
has  been  such  a  good  understanding  between  you.  and  that 
the  Saints  have  so  cheerfully  hearkened  to  counsel,  and  vied 
with  each  other  in  the  labor  of  love,  and  in  the  promotion  of 
truth  and  righteousness.  This  is  as  it  should  be  in  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ;  unity  is  strength.  'How  pleasing  it  is  for 
brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity.'  Let  the  Saints  of  the 
Most  High  ever  cultivate  this  principle,  and  the  most  glorious 
blessings  must  result,  not  only  to  them  individually,  but  to 
the  whole  Church — the  order  of  the  kingdom  will  be  main- 
tained, its  officers  respected,  and  its  requirements  readily  and 
cheerfully  obeyed. 

"Love  is  one  of  the  chief  characteristics  of  Deity,  and 
ought  to  be  manifested  by  those  who  aspire  to  be  the  sons  of 
God.  A  man  filled  with  the  love  of  God,  is  not  content  with 
blessing  his  family  alone,  but  ranges  through  the  whole  world 
anxious  to  bless  the  whole  human  race.  This  has  been  your 
feeling,  and  caused  you  to  forego  the  pleasures  of  home,  that 
you  might  be  a  blessing  to  others,  who  are  candidates  for 
immortality,  but  strangers  to  truth;  and  for  so  doing,  I  pray 

that  heaven's  choicest  blessings  may  rest  upon  you. 

***** 

"  Let  the  Saints  remember  that  great  things  depend  on 
their   individual   exertion,    and   that  they   are    called    to    be 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  311 

co-workers  with  us  and  the  Holy  Spirit  in  accomplishing  the 
great  work  of  the  last  days;  and  in  consideration  of  the 
extent,  the  blessings  and  glories  of  the  same,  let  every  selfish 
feeling  be  not  only  buried,  but  annihilated;  and  let  love  to 
God  and  man  predominate,  and  reign  triumphant  in  every 
mind,  that  their  hearts  may  become  like  unto  Enoch's  of  old 
and  comprehend  all  things,  present,  past  and  future,  and  come 
behind  in  no  gift,  waiting  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

"  The  work  in  which  we  are  unitedly  engaged  is  one  of 
no  ordinary  kind.  The  enemies  we  have  to  contend  against 
are  subtle  and  well  skilled  in  maneuvering;  it  behoves  us  to 
be  on  the  alert  to  concentrate  our  energies,  and  that  the  best 
feelings  should  exist  in  our  midst;  and  then  by  the  help  of 
the  Almighty,  we  shall  go  on  from  victory  to  victory,  and 
from  conquest  to  conquest;  our  evil  passions  will  be  subdued, 
our  prejudices  depart;  we  shall  find  no  room  in  our  bosoms 
for  hatred;  vice  will  hide  its  deformed  head,  and  we  shall 
stand  approved  in  the  sight  of  heaven,  and  be  acknowledged 
the  sons  of  God." 

"  Let  us  realize  that  we  are  not  to  live  to  ourselves,  but  to 
God ;  by  so  doing,  the  greatest  blessings  will  rest  upon  us 
both  in  time  and  in  eternity." 

And  to  the  Saints  scattered  abroad  the  Prophet  wrote : 

"BELOVED  BRETHREN: 

"We  address  a  few  lines  to  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ,  who  have  obeyed  from  the  heart  that  form  of  doctrine 
which  has  been  delivered  to  them  by  the  servants  of  the  Lord, 
and  who  are  desirous  to  go  forward  in  the  ways  of  truth  and 
righteousness,  and  by  obedience  to  the  heavenly  command, 
escape  the  things  which  are  coming  on  the  earth,  and  secure 
to  themselves  an  inheritance  among  the  sanctified  in  the  world 
to  come. 

***** 

"  The  work  of  the  Lord  in  these  last  days  is  one  of  vast 
magnitude  and  almost  beyond  the  comprehension  of  mortals. 
Its^ glories  are  past  description,  and  its  grandeur  unsurpassable. 
It  is  the  theme  which  has  animated  the  bosom  of  prophets 
and  righteous  men  from  the  creation  of  this  world  down 
through  every  succeeding  generation  to  the  present  time ; 
and  it  is  truly  the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times,  when 
all  things  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  whether  in  heaven  or  on 
the  earth,  shall  be  gathered  together  in  Him,  and  when  all 
things  shall  be  restored,  as  spoken  of  by  all  the  holy  prophets 


312  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

since  the  world  began;  for  in  it  will  take  place  the  fulfillment 
of  the  promises  made  to  the  fathers,  while  the  displays  of  the 
Most  High  will  be  great,  glorious  and  sublime. 

"  The  purposes  of  our  God  are  great,  His  love  unfathom- 
able, His  wisdom  infinite,  and  His  power  unlimited;  therefore 
the  Saints  have  cause  to  rejoice  and  be  glad,  knowing  that 
'this  God  is  our  God  forever  and  ever,  and  He  will  be  our 
Guide  until  death.'  Having  confidence  in  the  power,  wisdom 
and  love  of  God,  the  Saints  have  been  enabled  to  go  forward 
through  the  most  adverse  circumstances,  and  frequently,  when 
to  all  human  appearance,  nothing  but  death  presented  itself, 
and  destruction  inevitable,  has  the  power  of  God  been  mani- 
fest, His  glory  revealed  and  deliverance  effected;  and  the 
Saints,  like  the  children  of  Israel,  who  came  out  of  the  land 
of  Egypt,  and  through  the  Red  Sea,  have  sung  an  anthem  of 
praise  to  His  holy  name.  This  has  not  only  been  the  case  in 
former  days,  but  in  our  days,  and  within  a  few  months  have 
we  seen  this  fully  verified. 

"Having,  through  the  kindness  of  our  God,  been  deliv- 
ered from  destruction,  and  secured  a  location  upon  which  we 
have  again  commenced  operations  for  the  good  of  His  people, 
we  feel  disposed  to  go  forward  and  suit  our  energies  for  the 
up-building  of  the  kingdom,  and  establishing  the  Priesthood 
in  their  fullness  and  glory.  The  work  which  has  to  be  accom- 
plished in  the  last  days  is  one  of  vast  importance,  and  will  call 
into  action  the  energy,  skill,  talent  and  ability  of  the  Saints, 
so  that  it  may  roll  forth  with  that  glory  and  majesty  described 
by  the  prophets;  and  will  consequently  require  the  concentra- 
tion of  the  Saints,  to  accomplish  works  of  such  magnitude 
and  grandeur. 

"  The  work  of  the  gathering  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures 
will  be  necessary  to  bring  about  the  glories  of  the  last  dispen- 
sation. It  is  probably  unnecessary  to  press  this  subject  on  the 
Saints,  as  we  believe  the  spirit  of  it  is  manifest,  and  its  neces- 
sity obvious  to  every  considerate  mind;  and  everyone  zealous 
for  the  promotion  of  truth  and  righteousness,  is  equally  so  for 
the  gathering  of  the  Saints. 

"  Dear  brethren,  feeling  desirous  to  carry  out  the  purposes 
of  God  to  which  we  have  been  called;  and  to  be  workers  with 
Him  in  this  last  dispensation ;  we  feel  the  necessity  of  having 
the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  Saints  throughout  this  land  and 
upon  the  islands  of  the  sea,  and  it  will  be  necessary  for  them 
to  hearken  to  counsel  and  turn  their  attention  to  the  Church, 
the  establishment  of  the  Kingdom,  and  lay  aside  every  selfish 
principle,  everything  low  and  groveling." 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  313 

During  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  the  subject  of  mis- 
sionary work  was  very  near  to  the  Prophet's  heart.  He 
desired  that  all  men  might  have  the  privilege  of  hearing  the 
truth.  The  gospel  was  proclaimed  in  many  lands,  including 
the  distant  isles  of  the  sea,  during  his  lifetime;  and  a  plan  was 
laid  for  the  most  comprehensive  and  unselfish  system  of  pros- 
elyting since  the  day  when  Jesus  Christ  said  to  His  Apostles  : 
"Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature." 


CHAPTER    XLYII. 

NAUVOO   THE   BEAUTIFUL EVENTS   THERE   DURING  THE  YEAR 

1840 — RENEWAL  OF  OUTRAGES  BY  THE  MISSOURIANS DEATH 

OF  THE  PROPHET'S  FATHER  AND  EDWARD  PARTRIDGE — RETURN 

OF  WILLIAMS  AND  PHELPS — JOSEPH'S  HOPE  FOR  HIS  CITY — 
DEMAND  BY  GOVERNOR  BOGGS  FOR  THE  PROPHET  AND  HIS 
BRETHREN. 

A  GENERAL  conference  was  held  at  Nauvoo  on  the  6th  day  of 
April,  1840,  at  which  Joseph' presided  and  gave  much  instruc- 
tion. Frederick  G.  Williams  came  before  the  congregation 
and  humbly  asked  forgiveness  for  his  former  wrong-doing; 
he  expressed  a  determination  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and  the 
Church  forgave  him  and  received  him  into  fellowship. 

Commerce  was  officially  recognized  as  Nauvoo  by  the 
post  office  department  on  the  21st  day  of  April,  1840.  It  was 
growing  into  the  dignity  of  a  town.  In  a  year  after  the  first 
settlement  of  the  Saints  there,  two  hundred  and  fifty  houses 
had  been  built.  The  region  was  becoming  more  healthful; 
and  the  Saints  were  achieving  prosperity.  It  is  not  the  least 
of  the  miracles  connected  with  this  work  that  the  people  have 
so  often  and  so  quickly  risen  from  the  ashes  of  their  homes. 


••>14  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

On  the  27th  day  of  May,  1840,  the  faithful  Bishop  Edward 
Partridge,  the  first  Bishop  in  the  Church,  died  at  Nauvoo,  aged 
forty-six  years. 

Joseph  bore  this  testimony  concerning  him : 

"  He  lost  his  life  in  consequence  of  the  Missouri  persecu- 
tions ;  and  is  one  of  that  number  whose  blood  will  be  required 
at  the  hands  of  his  persecutors." 

In  June  of  this  year,  William  W.  Phelps  made  humble 
confession  of  his  wrong- doing  and  begged  the  fellowship  of 
the  Prophet  and  the  Saints.  This  event  and  the  return  of 
Frederick  G.  Williams  were  most  gratifying  to  Joseph, 
because  Elders  Williams  and  Phelps  before  their  fall  had 
occupied  a  large  place  in  his  affections. 

Through  the  season  of  1840,  many  stakes  were  organized 
in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

On  the  7th  day  of  July,  four  brethren,  James  Allred, 
Noah  Rogers,  Alanson  Brown  and  Benjamin  Boyce,  were  kid- 
napped at  Nauvoo  by  a  large  party  of  Missourians  and  carried 
over  the  river.  Before  they  were  able  to  escape,  they  were 
almost  murdered.  After  much  agony  they  got  loose  from 
their  chains  and  returned  home.  This  event  showed  that  the 
mobocratic  spirit  was  not  dead.  No  excuse  existed  for  the 
crime;  the  men  kidnapped  were  not  even  accused  of  any 
offence  by  their  captors.  The  barbarous  deed  was  the  pre- 
cursor of  a  larger  movement.  A  meeting  was  held  imme- 
diately at  Nauvoo  to  protest  against  the  renewal  of  such  out- 
rages, and  to  appeal  to  the  executive  of  the  state  of  Illinois 
for  redress  for  this  injury  and  protection  from  further 
wrong. 

On  Monday,  the  14th  day  of  September,  1840,  Joseph 
Smith,  Sen.,  Patriarch  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  and  the  father  of  the  Prophet,  died  at 
Nauvoo  from  the  effect  of  exposure  and  privation  during  the 
Missouri  persecutions. 

The  Prophet  says  of  him : 

"He  was  the  first  person  who  received  my  testimony  after 
I  had  seen  the  angel,  and  exhorted  me  to  be  faithful  and  dili- 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  315 

ent  to  the  message  I  had  received.     He  was  baptized  April 


"In  August,  1830,  in  company  with  my  brother  Don  Carlos,. 
he  took  a  mission  to  St.  Lawrence  County,  New  York,  touch- 
ing on  his  route  at  several  of  the  Canadian  ports,  where  he 
distributed  a  few  copies  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  visited  his 
father,  brothers  and  sister,  residing  in  St.  Lawrence  County, 
bore  testimony  to  the  truth,  which  resulted  eventually  in  all 
the  family  coming  into  the  Church,  except  his  brother  Jesse 
and  sister  Susan. 

"He  removed  with  his  family  to  Kirtland  in  1831;  was 
ordained  Patriarch  and  President  of  the  High  Priesthood, 
under  the  hands  of  Oliver  Cowdery,  Sidney  Bigdon,  Frederick 
G.  Williams  and  myself,  on  the  18th  of  December,  1833;  was 
a  member  of  the  first  high  council,  organized  on  the  17th 
of  February,  1834  (when  he  confirmed  on  me  and  my  brother 
Samuel  H.,  a  father's  blessing). 

uln  1836  he  traveled  in  company  with  his  brother  John 
2,400  miles  in  Ohio,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Vermont  and 
New  Hampshire,  visiting  the  branches  of  the  Church  in  those 
states,  and  bestowing  patriarchal  blessings  on  several  hundred 
persons,  preaching  the  gospel  to  all  who  would  hear,  and 
baptizing  many.  They  arrived  at  Kirtland  on  the  2nd  of 
October,  1836. 

"During  the  persecutions  in  Kirtland  in  1837,  he  was 
made  a  prisoner,  but  fortunately  obtained  his  liberty,  and 
after  a  very  tedious  journey  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1838T 
he  arrived  at  Far  West,  Missouri. 

"After  I  and  my  brother  Hyrum  were  thrown  into  the 
Missouri  jails  by  the  mob,  he  fled  from  under  the  exter- 
minating order  of  Governor  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  and  made  his 
escape  in  mid-winter  to  Quincy,  Illinois,  from  whence  he 
removed  to  Commerce  in  the  spring  of  1839. 

"  The  exposures  he  suffered  brought  on  consumption,  of 
which  he  died  on  this  14th  day  of  September,  1840,  aged 
sixty-nine  years,  two  months,  and  two  days.  He  was  six  feet, 
two  inches  high,  was  very  straight,  and  remarkably  well  pro- 
portioned. His  ordinary  weight  was  about  two  hundred 
pounds,  and  he  was  very  strong  and  active.  In  his  young 
days  he  was  famed  as  a  wrestler,  and,  Jacob-like,  he  never 
wrestled  with  but  one  man  whom  he  could  not  throw.  lie 
was  one  of  the  most  benevolent  of  men,  opening  his  house  to 
all  who  were  destitute.  While  at  Quincy,  Illinois,  he  fed 
hundreds  of  the  poor  Saints  who  were  flying  from  the  Missouri 
persecutions,  although  he  had  arrived  there  penniles.s  himself." 


316  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

On  the  3rd  day  of  October,  1840,  a  conference  was  held 
at  Nauvoo  at  which  it  was  decided  to  build  a  house  of  the  Lord 
in  that  city  and  that  the  Saints  each  give  every  tenth  day  of 
labor  to  the  erection  of  the  holy  edifice.  At  the  conference, 
an  address  from  the  Prophet  and  his  counselors  was  presented 
to  the  Church,  in  which  brief  reference  is  made  to  the  changes 
within  the  two  years  then  just  past.  The  communication  says : 

"  We  feel  rejoiced  to  meet  the  Saints  at  another  General 
Conference,  and  under  circumstances  as  favorable  as  the  pre- 
sent. Since  our  settlement  in  Illinois  we  have  for  the  most 
part  been  treated  with  courtesy  and  respect,  and  a  feeling  of 
kindness  and  of  sympathy  has  generally  been  manifested  by 
all  classes  of  the  community,  who,  with  us  deprecate  the  con- 
duct of  those  men  whose  dark  and  blackening  deeds  are  stamped 
with  everlasting  infamy  and  disgrace.  The  contrast  between 
our  past  and  present  situation  is  great.  Two  years  ago  mobs 
were  threatening,  plundering,  driving  and  murdering  the 
Saints.  Our  burning  houses  enlightened  the  canopy  of 
heaven.  Our  women  and  children,  houseless  and  destitute, 
had  to  wander  from  place  to  place  to  seek  a  shelter  from  the 
rage  of  persecuting  foes.  Now  we  enjoy  peace,  and  can 
worship  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth  without  molestation, 
and  expect  to  be  able  to  go  forward  and  accomplish  the  great 
and  glorious  work  to  which  we  have  been  called. 

u  Under  these  circumstances  we  feel  to  congratulate  the 
Saints  of  the  Most  High,  on  the  happy  and  pleasing  change  in 
our  circumstances,  condition  and  prospects,  and  which  those 
who  shared  in  the  perils  and  distresses,  undoubtedly  appreciate; 
while  prayers  and  thanksgivings  daily  ascend  to  that  God  who 
looked  upon  our  distresses  and  delivered  us  from  danger  and 
death,  and  whose  hand  is  over  us  for  good." 

The  Prophet  saw  a  grand  city  of  Nauvoo  to  rise  in  the 
near  future;  and  his  vision  and  hope  were  fulfilled. 

"Ascending  the  Upper  Mississippi  in  the  autumn,  when 
its  waters  were  low,  I  was  compelled  to  travel  by  land  past 
the  region  of  the  Rapids.  *  *  *  My  eye  wearied  to  see 
everywhere  sordid,  vagabond  and  idle  settlers,  and  a  country 
marred,  without  being  improved,  by  their  careless  hands.  I 
was  descending  the  last  hillside  upon  my  journey  when  a 
landscape  in  delightful  contrast  broke  upon  my  view.  Half 
encircled  by  a  bend  of  the  river,  a  beautiful  city  lay  glittering 
in  the  fresh  morning  sun;  its  bright,  new  dwellings,  set  in 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  317 

cool  green  gardens,  ranging  up  around  a  stately  dome-shaped 
hill,  which  was  covered  by  a  noble  marble  edifice,  whose  high 
tapering  spire  was  radiant  with  white  and  gold.  The  city 
appeared  to  cover  several  miles;  and  beyond  it,  in  the  back- 
ground, there  rolled  off  a  fair  country,  chequered  by  the 
careful  lines  of  fruitful  husbandry.  The  unmistakable 
marks  of  industry,  enterprise  and  educated  wealth  every- 
where, made  the  scene  one  of  singular  .and  most  striking 
beauty." 

This  is  what  Colonel,  afterwards  Major-General,  Thomas 
L.  Kane  thought  of l^auvoo  when  his  eyes  rested  upon  it  from 
a  distance  in  1846,  only  seven  years  after  the  purchase  by  the 
Saints  of  the  marshy  ground  upon  which  the  city  stood.  It 
partially  shows  how  well  the  Prophet  and  his  fellow-laborers 
had  been  able  to  fulfill  his  high  hopes  of  the  city's  destiny. 
For  the  Prophet  did  have  a  definite  and  exalted  plan  for  E~au- 
voo.  It  was  his  purpose,  under  the  direction  of  the  Almighty, 
to  make  this  a  fit  abiding  place  for  the  Saints  of  the  Most 
High;  not  only  a  place  where  they  might  receive  spiritual 
guidance,  but  a  place  where  the  arts  and  sciences  might  be 
taught  and  where  all  the  benefits  of  civilization  might  be 
enjoyed.  The  Prophet  understood  the  gospel  which  he  pro- 
claimed— that  it  comprehended  the  material  betterment  of  all 
mankind ;  and  he  aspired  to  establish  in  Nauvoo  such  social 
conditions  as  would  show  the  efficacy  of  gospel  teachings  in 
the  daily  life  of  the  community.  He  wanted  to  demonstrate 
in  Nauvoo  to  the  gaze  of  all  the  world  how  nearly  perfect 
community  life  might  become  in  a  free  republic,  when  all  men 
were  animated  by  the  same  motives  of  pure  religion  and  unsel- 
fish association;  how  much  they  might  be  prospered  and  how 
easily  they  might  be  governed. 

On  the  16th  day  of  December,  1840,  the  charter  of  the  city 
of  Nauvoo,  with  charters  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  were  signed  by  Governor 
Thomas  Carlin,  having  previously  passed  both  houses  of  the 
Legislative  Assembly  of  the  state  of  Illinois.  Under  the 
terms  of  these  charters  it  would  be  possible  for  the  Prophet  to 
demonstrate  his  social  problem ;  but  he  was  not  permitted  to 
do  it  without  molestation. 


518  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

It  had  been  held  out  to  the  world  by  shrewd  observers 
that  all  the  charges  made  in  the  state  of  Missouri  against  the 
Prophet  and  his  companions  were  false  and  would  not  bear 
fair  judicial  scrutiny;  because,  after  the  escape  of  the  brethren, 
they  lived  openly  at  Nauvoo  and  no  effort  was  made  to  secure 
them  by  the  officers  of  the  adjoining  state.  It  seemed  very 
clear  that  the  men  who  had  murdered  and  plundered  the 
Saints  did  not  want  to  have  their  acts  reviewed,  even  though 
the  Prophet's  liberty  was  the  price  of  their  inaction.  But  they 
were  taunted  by  some  of  their  prominent  fellow-citizens  with 
this  fact,  and  they  decided  to  answer  this  disagreeable  clamor 
by  renewing  the  persecutions  against  the  Prophet.  The  old  mob 
element  was  determined  to  have  vengeance  for  this  logical 
exposure  of  its  unjust  deeds. 

On  the  15th  day  of  September,  1840,  after  a  silence  of  a 
year  and  a  half,  Governor  Boggs  of  Missouri  made  a  demand 
upon  Governor  Carlin  of  Illinois  for  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  Sid- 
ney Rigdon,  Lyman  Wight,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Caleb  Baldwin 
and  Alanson  Brown,  as  fugitives  from  justice.  Governor  Car- 
lin complied  with  the  requisition  by  issuing  an  order  for  the 
-apprehension  of  these  men.  When  the  officer  went  to  serve 
the  papers,  the  brethren  were  away  from  home;  and,  learning 
of  the  movement,  they  determined  to  evade  the  process — not 
that  they  feared  any  righteous  inquiry  into  their  conduct,  but, 
having  once  escaped  from  Missouri  murderers,  they  declined 
to  give  themselves  up  again  to  be  assassinated. 

A  leading  article  from  the  Quincy,  Illinois,  Whig  of  that 
period — written  by  the  editor,  who  was  only  an  acquaintance 
of  the  Prophet  and  not  in  affiliation  with  the  Church — pre- 
sents the  situation  so  clearly  that  it  should  be  preserved  for  all 
time  to  come: 

"We  repeat,  Smith  and  Rigdon  should  riot  be  given  up. 
The  law  requiring  the  governor  of  our  state  to  deliver  up 
fugitives  from  justice  is  a  salutary  and  a  wise  one,  and  should 
not  in  ordinary  circumstances  be  disregarded;  but  as  there  are 
occasions  when  it  is  not  only  the  privilege  but  the  duty  of  the 
governor  of  the  state  to  refuse  to  surrender  the  citizens  of  his 
state  upon  the  requisition  of  the  executive  of  another, — and 
this  we  consider  is  the  case  of  Smith  and  Rigdon. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  -!l!t 

"  The  law  is  made  to  secure  the  punishment  of  the  guilty, 
id  not  to  sacrifice  the  innocent,  and  the  governor  whose 
paramount  duty  it  is  to  protect  the  citizens  of  his  state  from 
lawless  violence,  whenever  he  knows  that  to  comply  with 
such  requisition  he  could  be  delivering  the  citizens  into  the 
hands  ot  a  mob  as  a  victim  to  appease  the  thirst  of  the  infuriate 
multitude  for  blood,  without  trial  and  against  justice:  under 
siu'li  circumstances,  we  repeat,  the  governor  is  bound  by  the 
highest  of  all  human  laws,  to  refuse  to  comply  with  the 
requisition;  and  will  Governor  Carlin  pretend  to  say  that  the 
present  is  not  a  case  of  this  kind? 

"  The  history  of  the  Mormon  difficulties  in  Missouri,  is 
of  too  recent  an  origin  not  to  be  well  known  to  the  governor. 
A  few  years  since,  when  they  had  settled  in  the  Far  West, 
and  had  gathered  around  them  the  comforts  and  conveniences 
of  life,  and  were  beginning  to  reap  the  just  reward  of  their 
industry  and  enterprise,  a  mob  attempted  to  drive  them  from 
their  homes;  as  peaceable  citizens,  enjoying  all  the  rights 
guaranteed  to  them  by  a  republican  Constitution,  they  had  a 
right,  and  did  call  on  the  governor  of  Missouri,  for  protection. 
Did  he,  in  obedience  to  the  oath  which  he  had  taken  to  sup- 
port the  constitution  of  the  state,  respond  to  the  call  as  a 
governor  should?  No  I  and  forever  will  a  stain  rest  upon 
the  name  of  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  and  the  state  of  Missouri. 
Mr.  Boggs  told  the  Mormons  that  they  must  take  care  of 
themselves — in  fact  denying  them  the  protection  of  the 
constitution  under  whose  broad  folds  they  had  taken  shelter. 
Thus  denied  the  protection  of  the  state,  they  prepared  to 
defend  their  homes,  wives  and  children.  Did  Mr.  Boggs,  as 
the  controversy  proceeded,  remain  a  neutral  spectator,  as  his 
first  intimation  had  given  the  Mormons  to  understand  ?  Oh, 
no !  when  the  mob  was  forced  to  fly  for  safety — like  cowards  as 
they  were — then  this  wise  and  oath-bound  executive,  called 
out  the  militia  of  the  state,  to  aid  in  expelling — or  rather,  to  use 
one  of  the  expressions  of  Mr.  Boggs — in  'exterminating'  the 
Mormons.  Which  is  as  much  as  to  say,  if  the  Mormons 
cannot  be  driven  from  their  homes,  their  possessions,  and  all 
else  that  they  hold  dear,  peaceably,  why  then,  kill,  murder, 
burn,  destroy,  anything  so  the  Mormons  are  'exterminated' 
from  the  state!  Most  just,  humane,  wise,  and  patriotic 
Governor  Boggs ! 

"Many  of  them  were  barbarously  butchered,  and  all 
shamefully  unsettled  and  cruelly  driven  from  their  comfortable 
firesides  at  an  inclement  season  of  the  year;  those  who  escaped 
secret  murder,  were  inhumanly  and  savagely  treated,  their 


320  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

females  violated,  and  their  property  confiscated  and  plundered, 
by  the  barbarous  vandals  who  were  persecuting  them  even 
unto  death!  and  to  such  men  and  to  such  people,  would 
Governor  Carlin  deliver  up  two  of  our  Mormon  citizens  for  a 
sacrifice!  We  oppose  this  barter  and  trade  in  blood,  upon 
higher  grounds  than  the  mere  forms  of  law  upon  which  the 
Argus  justifies  the  governor.  If  we  believed  that  Smith  and 
Rigdon  had  been  guilty  of  criminal  acts  in  Missouri,  and 
could  have  a  fair  trial  for  such  acts,  under  the  laws  of  that 
state,  we  should  be  among  the  first  to  advocate  the  surrender 
of  those  gentlemen.  It  is  not  the  laws  of  Missouri,  of  which 
we  complain,  it  is  of  the  officers  who  are  appointed  to  execute 
and  carry  out  those  laws.  Their  conduct  must  be  forever  rep- 
robated— it  is  a  lasting  disgrace  to  the  state. 

"The  Mormons  have  resided  in  our  state  since  they  were 
driven  out  of  Missouri — behaving  as  good  citizens.  Smith 
and  Rigdon  in  particular,  have  resided  ever  since  within  the 
limits  of  our  state,  undoubtedly  with  the  full  knowledge  of 
the  authorities  of  Missouri,  but  no  demand  is  made  till  the 
citizens  of  Missouri,  pursuing  them  in  their  new  homes  in  this 
state,  with  the  same  disregard  of  law  that  marked  their  previ- 
ous conduct,  a  call  is  made  upon  the  governor  of  that  state  to 
deliver  them  over  to  our  authorities  to  be  tried  for  violating 
our  laws,  then  the  very  vigilant  governor  of  Missouri  calls  for 
the  apprehension  of  Smith  and  Rigdoii ! 

"  It  may  be  that  Governors  Carlin  and  Boggs  had  a  private 
understanding — that  a  cartel,  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  may 
be  agreed  on  between  them.  If  it  is  so,  the  governor  is  trifl- 
ing with  the  lives  of  our  citizens — with  the  lives  of  those 
whom  he  is  sworn  to  protect.  Reason,  justice  and  humanity, 
cry  out  against  the  proceeding. 

"  We  repeat,  that  compliance  on  the  part  of  Governor 
Carlin,  would  be  to  deliver  them  not  to  be  tried  for  crime,  but  to 
be  punished  without  crime ;  and  that  under  those  circumstances, 
they  had  a  right  to  claim  protection  as  citizens  of  this  state." 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  trouble  which  lasted  during 
the  few  remaining  years  of  the  Prophet's  life.  While  he  was 
upon  one  hand  building  up  Nauvoo  into  a  beautiful  city  and 
spreading  abroad  the  glory  of  the  gospel;  upon  the  other 
hand,  he  was  himself  harassed  and  driven  day  and  night  by 
the  relentless  efforts  of  vindictive  enemies  incited  by  a  bigotry 
which  failed  to  comprehend  the  grandeur  of  his  work  and  the 
purity  of  his  soul. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  321 


From  this  time  on,  though  his  labor  was  constantly 
expanding,  he  himself  was  being  hedged  in.  And  as  the 
events  of  the  remaining  four  years  crowd  each  other  with 
lightning  rapidity,  this  is  the  proper  time  to  pause  and  look 
at  length  upon  his  matured  person  and  character,  just  as  he  is 
about  to  rise  to  the  zenith  of  his  career  and  just  at  the  hour 
when  all  the  forces  of  the  adversary  are  being  united  in  a 
movement  to  drag  him  down  and  destroy  the  cause  entrusted 
to  his  care. 


CHAPTER    XLVIIL 

JOSEPH  SMITH  AT  NAUVOO HIS  PHYSICAL  AND  MENTAL  PERSON- 
ALITY— VIEWS  OF  HIS  OPPONENT  COMMENTATORS — TESTIMONY 
OF  THE  SPIRIT  TO  HIS  INSPIRATION. 

WHEN  the  Prophet  first  went  to  Commerce  he  was  thirty-three 
years  old;  and  he  was  martyred  in  his  thirty-ninth  year. 
Despite  the  outrages  perpetrated  upon  him  and  the  privations 
which  he  had  endured,  he  was  during  this  period  still  a  man 
of  great  physical  beauty  and  stateliness.  He  was  just  six  feet 
in  height,  standing  in  his  stockings,  and  was  grandly  propor- 
tioned. In  his  mature  years'  he  weighed  about  two  hundred 
pounds.  His  eyes  were  blue  and  tender  ;  his  hair  was  brown, 
plentiful  and  wavy;  he  wore  no  beard,  and  his  complexion 
was  one  of  transparency  so  rare  as  to  be  remarkable;  the 
exquisite  clearness  of  his  skin  was  never  clouded,  his  face 
being  naturally  almost  without  hair.  His  carriage  was  erect 
and  graceful;  he  moved  always  with  an  air  of  dignity  and 
power  which  strangers  often  called  kingly.  He  was  full  of 
physical  energy  and  daring.  Without  any  appearance  of  effort 
he  could  perform  astonishing  feats  of  strength  and  agility;  and 
without  any  apparent  thought  of  fear  he  met  and  smiled  upon 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

every  physical  danger.  From  his  boyhood  up  he  was  fond  of 
athletics,  and  in  his  mature  years  and  at  the  very  zenith  of  his 
fame  he  loved  to  unbend  and  wrestle  or  jump  with  a  friend. 
The  men  who  could  contest  with  him  were  very  few.  He 
could  stand  and  leap  over  a  bar  higher  than  his  head.  When 
his  situation  would  permit  he  was  as  happy  as  a  schoolboy  to 
join  in  manly  sports. 

He  showed  a  sense  of  gentle  humor  in  his  games.  On 
one  occasion  two  sectarian  ministers  had  addressed  themselves 
to  him  with  the  boasted  purpose  of  conquering  him  in  argu- 
ment. His  theological  strength  dumbfounded  them;  he  drove 
them  from  one  position  to  another  until  they  were  glad  to  cry 
for  quarter.  Then,  as  they  were  about  to  depart  with  a  crest- 
fallen air,  he  said  to  them  in  a  tone  of  kindness  : 

"Come,  gentlemen,  since  you  withdraw  from  the  contest 
of  logic,  let  us  jump  at  a  mark.  I  think  I  can  beat  you  at 
this." 

The  preachers  hastened  away,  filled  with  indignation,  and 
spread  all  manner  of  ridiculous  reports  concerning  Joseph 
Smith  because  he  could  condescend  at  times  to  run  or  jump  or 
wrestle  like  a  boy.  Probably  their  defeat  in  argument  had 
more  than  the  professed  shock  to  their  religious  sensitiveness 
to  do  with  their  indignation. 

He  was  always  gentle  and  good-natured  in  his  sports. 
Several  men  are  yet  living  who  jumped  or  tried  a  fall  with 
the  Prophet.  They  say  Joseph  did  not  lose  dignity  in  these 
sports.  His  rare  physical  beauty  and  grace  and  his  athletic 
excellence  set  him  far  above  his  fellows  and  made  his  conde- 
scension seem  kingly. 

Nearly  every  one  of  his  commentators,  whether  friend  or 
foe,  speaks  of  him  as  a  handsome  man,  of  distinguished 
appearance,  and  possessing  a  marvelous  power  of  fascination. 
By  his  opponents,  the  inspiration  which  was  over  him  and 
upon  him — enveloping  and  permeating  him  and  radiating 
from  his  whole  being — was  attributed  to  magnetism. 

In  every  association  with  his  fellow-beings  he  was  consid- 
erate and  just.  He  was  always  willing  to  carry  his  part  of 
the  burden  and  to  share  in  any  suffering  or  deprivation 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  323 

inflicted  upon  his  friends.  He  was  gentle  to  children  and  uni- 
versally won  their  love.  Elder  Lyman  0.  Littlefield,  now  of 
Logan,  Utah,  was  a  hoy  thirteen  years  old  with  the  Camp  of 
Zion  which  went  up  into  Missouri.  He  narrates  an  incident 
of  that  journey  which  is  characteristic  of  the  Prophet's  entire 
life,  for  his  deeds  and  words  of  thoughtfulness  were  a  con- 
stantly flowing  stream.  As  we  recollect  Elder  Littlefield's 
statement,  it  was  this : 

"  The  journey  was  extremely  toilsome  for  all,  and  the 
physical  suffering,  coupled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  perse- 
cutions endured  by  our  brethren  whom  we  were  traveling  to 
succor,  caused  me  to  lapse  one  day  into  a  state  of  melancholy. 
As  the  camp  was  making  ready  to  depart  I  sat  tired  and 
hrooding  by  the  roadside.  The  Prophet  was  the  busiest  man 
of  the  camp;  and  yet  when  he  saw  me,  he  turned  from  the 
great  press  of  other  duties  to  say  a  word  of  comfort  to  a  child. 
Placing  his  hand  upon  my  head,  he  said,  'Is  there  no  place  for 
you,  my  boy  ?  If  not,  \VQ  must  make  one.'  This  circumstance 
made  an  impression  upon  my  mind  which  long  lapse  of  time 
and  the  cares  of  riper  years  have  not  effaced." 

Joseph  always  sought  to  help  the  distressed.  A  cry  of 
sorrow  quickly  touched  his  ear,  and  its  appeal  invariably 
aroused  him  to  helpful  action. 

When  he  had  become  educated  and  refined  as  gold  in 
the  furnace  by  his  communion  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  his  words 
were  heeded  as  if  they  were  falling  jewels.  He  never  had  to 
beg  for  listeners ;  nor  had  Ire  to  ask  twice  an  audience  with 
any  one  who  had  once  met  him.  The  great  men  of  the  nation, 
with  whom  he  came  into  contact,  felt  the  power  of  his  mighty 
spirit.  He  was  their  peer  as  a  philosopher  and  a  statesman. 
He  was  more,  because  he  not  only  knew  the  past,  but  he  saw 
the  future. 

The  judgment  of  a  man's  friends  is  always  the  best  judg- 
ment especially  when  his  character  and  career  are  such  as  to 
excite  the  jealousy  and  enmity  of  the  world.  But  in  the  case 
of  Joseph  the  Prophet,  while  none  but  his  friends  could  under- 
stand the  full  strength  and  beauty  of  that  god-like  soul,  there 
'were  not  wanting  plenty  of  non-believers  who  recognized  in 
him  a  man  of  amazing  power.  When  a  man  is  dead,  he  is 


324  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

usually  judged  by  his  works,  and  few  characters  can  bear  the 
judgment  of  the  world  pronounced  during  their  lives  by  their 
opponents.  Joseph  Smith  was  one  of  the  few.  In  speaking 
of  his  opponents,  we  refer  not  to  the  sectarian  bigots  or  to  the 
mobocrats  and  apostates;  but  we  refer  to  men  of  standing  and 
reputation,  who  were  not  so  foolish  as  to  speak  falsely  in 
describing  his  attributes.  We  refer  to  men  who  recognized 
in  Joseph  Smith  a  social  factor  and  in  his  work  a  social  move- 
ment, even  while  they  denied  his  inspiration  and  its  divinity. 
A  writer  for  the  New  York  Herald  had  visited  the  Prophet, 
and  in  1 842  that  paper  said : 

"Joseph  Smith  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  greatest  charac- 
ters of  the  age.  He  indicates  as  much  talent,  originality  and 
moral  courage  as  Mahomet,  Odin,  or  any  of  the  great  spirits 
that  have  hitherto  produced  the  revolutions  of  past  ages.  In 
the  present  infidel,  irreligious,  ideal,  geological,  animal-mag- 
netic age  of  the  world,  some  such  singular  prophet  as  Joseph 
Smith  is  required  to  preserve  the  principle  of  faith,  and  to 
plant  some  new  germs  of  civilization  that  may  come  to  matur- 
ity in  a  thousand  years.  While  modern  philosophy,  which 
believes  in  nothing  but  what  you  can  touch,  is  overspreading 
the  Atlantic  States,  Joseph  Smith  is  creating  a  spiritual  sys- 
tem, combined  also  with  morals  and  industry,  that  may  change 
the  destiny  of  the  race.  *  *  *  We  certainly  want 
some  such  prophet  to  start  up,  take  a  big  hold  of  the  public 
mind — and  stop  the  torrent  of  materialism  that  is  hurrying  the 
world  into  infidelity,  immorality,  licentiousness  and  crime." 

The  Pittsburg  American  declared  that  Joseph  Smith 
could  not  be  denied  the  attribute  of  greatness.  A  Cleveland 
paper  responding  said  that  he  was  without  education  or  genius 
and  that  uhe  used  to  live  near  'these  diggings. ";  The  Pitts- 
burg  Visitor  then  took  up  the  argument  saying  : 

"  No  man  was  ever  a  prophet  near  the  edge  of  his  own  diggings. 
*  *  *  We  know  that  principally  from  a  country  which 
boasts  its  superior  intelligence ;  where  ignorance  is  supposed 
to  be  banished,  and  every  man  and  woman  taught  to  read  and 
write;  he  [Joseph  Smith]  has  built  up  a  name,  a  temple  and  a 
city,  conquering  all  opposition,  and  this  both  vindictive  and 
powerful,  and  so  entirely  unaided  that  he  can  exclaim  like  the 
proud  and  haughty  Roman,  i  Alone  I  did  it! ' 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  325 


"If  he  is  advancing  the  cause  of  truth,  he  certainly  has 
claim  to  our  sympathies  and  respect,  as  well  for  its  discovery 
as  the  bold  and  determined  manner  in  which  he  has  main- 
tained it.  If  it  is  a  gross  imposture  as  you  assert,  he  must  be 
both  ingenious  and  cunning  to  gloss  over  its  deformities,  and 
make  them  so  attractive.  We  have  nothing  to  do  with  his 
doctrines — we  only  consider  him  the  most  remarkable  man 
among  the  'diggins.' ' 

Probably  the  most  comprehensive  view  taken  of  the 
Prophet  by  a  man  not  intimate  with  him  was  that  of  Josiah 
Quincy  who,  in  company  with  Hon.  Charles  Francis  Adams, 
the  senior,  visited  Joseph  Smith  at  Nauvoo  on  the  15th  day  of 
May,  1844,  just  forty-three  days  before  the  Prophet's  martyr- 
dom. Among  many  things  descriptive  of  Joseph,  Quincy 
says : 

"It  is  by  no  means  improbable  that  some  future  text- 
book, for  the  use  of  generations  yet  unborn,  will  contain  a 
question  something  like  this:  What  historical  American  of  the 
nineteenth  century  has  exerted  the  most  powerful  influence 
upon  the  destinies  of  his  countrymen?  And  it  is  by  no  means 
impossible  that  the  answer  to  that  interrogatory  may  be  thus 
written :  Joseph  Smith,  ihe  Mormon  Prophet.  And  the  reply, 
absurd  as  it  doubtless  seems  to  most  men  now  living,  may  be 
an  obvious  common-place  to  their  descendants.  History  deals 
in  surprises  and  paradoxes  quite  as  startling  as  this.  The  man 
who  established  a  religion  in  this  age  of  free  debate,  who  was 
and  is  to-day  accepted  by  hundreds  of  thousands  as  a  direct 
emissary  from  the  Most  High, — such  a  rare  human  being  is 
not  to  be  disposed  of  by  pelting  his  memory  with  unsavory 
epithets.  Fanatic,  impostor,  charlatan,  he  may  have  been; 
but  these  hard  names  furnish  no  solution  to  the  problem  he 
presents  to  us.  Fanatics  and  impostors  are  living  and  dying 
every  day,  and  their  memory  is  buried  with  them;  but  the 
wonderful  influence  which  this  founder  of  a  religion  exerted 
and  still  exerts  throws  him  into  relief  before  us,  not  as  a 
rogue  to  be  criminated,  but  as  a  phenomenon  to  be  explained. 
The  most  vital  questions  Americans  are  asking  each  other 
to-day  have  to  do  with  this  man  and  what  he  has  left  us.  A 
generation  other  than  mine  must  deal  with  these  questions. 
Burning  questions  they  are,  which  must  give  a  prominent 
place  in  the  history  of  the  country  to  that  sturdy  self-asserter 
whom  I  visited  at  Nauvoo.  Joseph  Smith,  claiming  to  be  an 
inspired  teacher,  faced  adversity  such  as  few  men  have  been 


326  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

called  to  meet,  enjoyed  a  brief  season  of  prosperity  such  as  few 
men  have  ever  attained,  and,  finally,  forty-three  days  after  I 
saw  him,  went  cheerfully  to  a  martyr's  death.  When  he  sur- 
rendered his  person  to  Governor  Ford,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
shedding  of  blood,  the  Prophet  had  a  presentiment  of  what 
was  before  him.  'I  am  going  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter,'  he 
is  reported  to  have  said ;  i  but  I  am  as  calm  as  a  summer's 
morning.  I  have  a  conscience  void  of  offence  and  shall  die 
innocent.'  I  have  no  theory  to  advance  respecting  this  extra- 
ordinary man.  I  shall  simply  give  the  facts  of  my  intercourse 
with  him.  At  some  future  time  they  may  be  found  to  have 
some  bearing  upon  the  theories  of  others  who  are  more  com- 
petent to  make  them.  Ten  closely  written  pages  of  my 
journal  describe  my  impressions  of  I^auvoo,  and  of  its  Prophet, 
mayor,  general  and  judge.  *  * 

"Pre-eminent  among  the  stragglers  by  the  door  stood  a 
man  of  commanding  appearance,  clad  in  the  costume  of  a 
journeyman  carpenter  when  about  his  work.  He  was  a  hearty, 
athletic  fellow,  with  blue  eyes  standing  prominently  out  upon 
his  light  complexion,  a  long  nose,  and  a  retreating  forehead. 
He  wore  striped  pantaloons,  a  linen  jacket,  which  had  not 
lately  seen  the  washtub,  and  a  beard  of  some  three  days' 
growth.  This  was  the  founder  of  the  religion  which  had  been 
preached  in  every  quarter  of  the  earth. 

"A  fine-looking  man  is  what  the  passer-by  would  instinct- 
ively have  murmured  upon  meeting  the  remarkable  individual 
who  had  fashioned  the  mould  which  was  to  shape  the  feelings 
of  so  many  thousands  of  his  fellow-mortals.  But  Smith  was 
more  than  this,  and  one  could  not  resist  the  impression  that 
capacity  and  resource  were  natural  to  his  stalwart  person.  I 
have  already  mentioned  the  resemblance  he  bore  to  Elisha  R. 
Potter,  of  Rhode  Island,  whom  I  met  in  Washington  in  1826. 
The  likeness  was  not  such  as  would  be  recognized  in  a  picture, 
but  rather  one  that  would  be  felt  in  a  grave  emergency.  Of 
all  men  that  I  have  met,  these  two  seemed  best  endowed 
with  that  kingly  faculty  which  directs,  as  by  intrinsic  right, 
the  feeble  or  confused  souls  who  are  looking  for  guid- 
ance. This  it  is  just  to  say  with  emphasis;  for  the  reader 
will  find  so  much  that  is  puerile  and  even  shocking  in 
my  report  of  the  prophet's  conversation  that  he  might 
never  suspect  the  impression  of  rugged  power  that  was  given 
by  the  man. 

'"General  Smith,'  said  Dr.  •  Goforth,  when  we  had 
adjourned  to  the  green  in  front  of  the  tavern,  'I  think  Mr. 
Quincy  would  like  to  hear  you  preach.7  'Then  I  shall  be 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  327 

happy  to  do  so/ was  the  obliging  reply;  and  mounting  the 
broad  step  which  led  from  the  house,  the  Prophet  promptly 
addressed  a  sermon  to  the  little  group  about  him.  Our  num- 
bers were  constantly  increased  from  the  passers  in  the  street, 
and  a  most  attentive  audience  of  more  than  a  hundred  persons 
soon  hung  upon  every  word  of  the  speaker.  The  text  was 
Mark  xvi.  15,  and  the  comments,  though  rambling  and  dis- 
connected, were  delivered  with  the  fluency  arid  fervor  of  a 
camp-meeting  orator.  The  discourse  was  interrupted  several 
times  by  the  Methodist  minister  before  referred  to,  who 
thought  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  question  the  soundness  of 
certain  theological  positions  maintained  by  the  speaker.  One 
specimen  of  the  sparring  which  ensued  I  thought  worth  setting 
down.  The  Prophet  is  asserting  that  baptism  for  the  remission 
of  sins  is  essential  for  salvation.  Minister :  Stop !  What  do 
you  say  to  the  case  of  the  penitent  thief  ?  Prophet :  What  do 
you  mean  by  that  ?  Minister :  You  know  our  Savior  said  to 
the  thief,  '  This  day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise,'  which 
shows  he  could  not  have  beon  baptized  before  his  admission. 
Prophet:  How  do  you  know  he  wasn't  baptized  before  he 
became  a  thief?  At  this  retort  the  sort  of  laugh  that  is  pro- 
voked by  an  unexpected  hit  ran  through  the  audience;  but 
this  demonstration  of  sympathy  was  rebuked  by  a  severe  look 
from  Smith,  who  went  on  to  say:  'But  that  is  not  the  true 
answer.  In  the  original  Greek,  as  this  gentleman  [turning  to 
me]  will  inform  you,  the  word  that  has  been  translated  para- 
dise means  simply  a  place  of  departed  spirits.  To  that  place 
the  penitent  thief  was  conveyed,  and  there,  doubtless,  he 
received  the  baptism  necessary  for  his  admission  to  the 
heavenly  kingdom.'  The  other  objections  of  his  antagonist 
were  parried  with  a  similar  adroitness,  and  in  about  fifteen 
minutes  the  Prophet  concluded  a  sermon  which  it  was  evi- 
dent that  his  disciples  had  heard  with  the  heartiest  satisfac- 
tion. *  * 

"  In  the  afternoon  we  drove  to  visit  the  farms  upon  the 
prairie  which  this  enterprising  people  had  enclosed  and  were 
cultivating  with  every  appearance  of  success.  On  return- 
ing, we  stopped  in  a  beautiful  grove  where  there  were  seats 
and  a  platform  for  speaking.  '  When  the  weather  permits,' 
said  Smith,  '  we  hold  our  services  in  this  place;  but  shall  cease 
to  do  so  when  the  temple  is  finished.'  'I  suppose  none 
but  Mormon  preachers  are  allowed  in  Nauvoo,'  said  the 
Methodist  minister,  who  had  accompanied  our  expedition. 
i  On  the  contrary,'  replied  the  prophet,  '  I  shall  be  very  happy 
to  have  you  address  my  people  next  Sunday,  and  I  will  insure 


328  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

you  a  mgst  attentive  congregation.'  'What!  do  you  mean 
that  I  may  say  anything  I  please  and  that  you  will  make  no 
reply  ?'  '  You  may  certainly  say  anything  you  please ;  but  I 
must  reserve  the  right  of  adding  a  word  or  two,  if  I  judge 
best.  I  promise  to  speak  of  you  in  the  most  respectful 
manner.'  As  we  rode  back,  there  was  more  dispute  between 
the  minister  and  Smith.  *  Come,'  said  the  latter,  suddenly 
slapping  his  antagonist  on  the  knee,  to  emphasize  the  pro- 
duction of  a  triumphant  text,  '  if  you  can't  argue  better  than 
that,  you  shall  say  all  you  want  to  say  to  my  people,  and  I 
will  promise  to  hold  my  tongue,  for  there's  not  a  Mormon 
among  them  who  would  need  my  assistance  to  answer  you.' 
Some  back-thrust  was  evidently  required  to  pay  for  this;  and 
the  minister,  soon  after,  having  occasion  to  allude  to  some 
erroneous  doctrine  which  I  forgot,  suddenly  exclaimed,  'Why, 
I  told  my  congregation  the  other  Sunday  that  they  might  as 
well  believe  Joe  Smith  as  such  theology  as  that.'  'Did  you 
say  Joe  Smith  in  a  sermon  ?'  inquired  the  person  to  whom  the 
title  had  been  applied.  'Of  course  I  did.  Why  not?'  The 
Prophet's  reply  was  given  with  a  quiet  superiority  that  was 
overwhelming:  'Considering  only  the  day  and  the  place,  it 
would  have  been  more  respectful  to  have  said  Lieutenant- 
General  Joseph  Smith.'  Clearly  the  worthy  minister  was  no 
match  for  the  head  of  the  Mormon  Church. 

"I  have  quoted  enough  [from  letters  of  converts]  to  show 
what  really  good  material  Smith  managed  to  draw  into  his 
net.  Were  such  fish  to  be  caught  with  Spaulding's  tedious 
romance  and  a  puerile  fable  of  undecipherable  gold  plates  and 
gigantic  spectacles?  Not  these  cheap  and  wretched  properties, 
but  some  mastering  force  of  the  man  who  handled  them, 
inspired  the  devoted  missionaries  who  worked  such  wonders. 
The  remaining  letters  [picked  up  from  Joseph's  waste  basket 
by  Quincy]  both  written  a  year  previous  to  my  visit,  came 
from  a  certain  Chicago  attorney,  who  seems  to  have  been  the 
personal  friend  as  well  as  the  legal  adviser  of  the  Prophet. 
With  the  legal  advice  come  warnings  of  plots  which  enemies 
are  preparing,  and  of  the  probability  that  a  seizure  of  his  per- 
son by  secret  ambush  is  contemplated.  '  They  hate  you,' 
writes  this  friendly  lawyer,  'because  they  have  done  evil  unto 
you.  *  *  *  My  advice  to  you  is  not  to  sleep  in  your  own 
house,  but  to  have  some  place  to  sleep  strongly  guarded  by 
your  own  friends,  so  that  you  can  resist  any  sudden  attempt 
that  might  be  made  to  kidnap  you  in  the  ni^ht.  When  the 
Missourians  come  on  this  side  and  burn  houses,  depend  upon 
it  they  will  not  hesitate  to  make  the  attempt  to  carry  you 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  329 

by  force.  Let  me  again  caution  you  to  be  every  moment 
>n  your  guard.'  The  man  to  whom  this  letter  was 
Idressed  had  long  been  familiar  with  perils.  For  fourteen 
rears  he  was  surrounded  by  vindictive  enemies,  who  lost  no 
jpportunity  to  harass  him.  He  was  in  danger  even  when 
saw  him  at  the  summit  of  his  prosperity,  and  he 
soon  to  seal  his  testimony — or,  if  you  will,  to  expiate 
lis  imposture — by  death  at  the  hands  of  dastardly  assassins, 
these  letters  go  little  way  toward  interpreting  the  man, 
iey  suggest  that  any  hasty  interpretation  of  him  is  inade- 
late.  *  *  *  *  *  * 

"  I  asked  him  to  test  his  [prophetic]  powers  by  naming 
the  successful  candidate  in  the  approaching  presidential  elec- 
tion. '  Well,  I  will  prophesy  that  John  Tyler  will  not  be  the 
next  President,  for  some  things  are  possible  and  some  things 
are  probable ;  but  Tyler's  election  is  neither  the  one  nor  the 
other.'  We  then  went  on  to  talk  of  politics.  Smith  recog- 
nized the  curse  and  iniquity  of  slavery,  though  he  opposed  the 
methods  of  the  Abolitionists.  His  plan  was  for  the  nation  to 
pay  for  the  slaves  from  the  sale  of  the  public  lands.  i  Con- 
gress,' he  said,  4  should  be  compelled  to  take  this  course,  by 
petitions  from  all  parts  of  the  country;  but  the  petitioners 
must  disclaim  all  alliance  with  those  who  would  disturb  the 
rights  of  property  recognized  by  the  constitution  and  foment 
insurrection.'  It  may  be  worth  while  to  remark  that  Smith's 
plan  was  publicly  advocated  eleven  years  later,  by  one  who 
has  mixed  so  much  practical  shrewdness  with  his  lofty  philo- 
sophy. In  1855,  when  men's  minds  had  been  moved  to  their 
depths  on  the  question  of  slavery,  Mr.  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson 
declared  that  it  should  be  met  in  accordance  '  with  the  interest 
of  the  South  and  with  the  settled  conscience  of  the  Korth.  It 
is  not  really  a  great  task,  a  great  fight  ior  this  country  to 
accomplish,  to  buy  that  property  of  the  planter,  as  the  British 
nation  bought  the  West  Indian  slaves.'  He  further  says  that  the 
*  United  States  will  be  brought  to  give  every  inch  of  their  public 
lands  for  a  pur  pose  like  this.'  We  who  can  look  back  upon  the 
terrible  cost  of  the  fratricidal  war  which  put  an  end  to  slavery, 
now  say  that  such  a  solution  of  the  difficulty  would  have  been 
worthy  a  Christian  statesman.  But  if  the  retired  scholar  was 
in  advance  of  his  time  when  he  advocated  this  disposition  of 
the  public  property  in  1855,  what  shall  I  say  of  the  political 
and  religious  leader  who  had  committed  himself,  in  print,  as 
well  as  in  conversation,  to  the  same  course  in  1844?  If  the 
atmosphere  of  men's  opinions  was  stirred  by  such  a  proposition 
when  war-clouds  were  discernible  in  the  sky,  was  it  not  a 


330  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

statesmanlike  word  eleven  years    earlier,  when  the  heavens 
looked  tranquil  and  beneficent? 

"  General  Smith  proceeded  to  unfold  still  further  his  views 
upon  politics.  He  denounced  the  Missouri  Compromise  as  an 
unjustifiable  concession  for  the  benefit  of  slavery.  It  was 
Henry  Clay's  bid  for  the  presidency.  Dr.  Goforth  might  have 
spared  himself  the  trouble  of  coming  to  Nauvoo  to  electioneer 
for  a  duellist  who  would  fire  at  John  Randolph,  but  was  not 
brave  enough  to  protect  the  Saints  in  their  rights  as  American 
citizens.  Clay  had  told  his  people  to  go  to  the  wilds  of 
Oregon  and  set  up  a  government  of  their  own.  Oh  yes,  the 
Saints  might  go  into  the  wilderness  and  obtain  justice  of  the 
Indians,  which  imbecile,  time-serving  politicians  would  not 
give  them  in  a  land  of  freedom  and  equality.  The  Prophet 
then  talked  of  the  details  of  government.  He  thought  that 
the  number  of  members  admitted  to  the  lower  house  of  the 
National  Legislature  should  be  reduced.  A  crowd  only 
darkened  counsel  and  impeded  business.  A  member  to  every 
half  million  of  population  would  be  ample.  The  powers  of  the 
President  should  be  increased.  He  should  have  authority  to 
put  down  rebellion  in  a  state,  without  waiting  for  the  request 
of  any  governor;  for  it  might  happen  that  the  governor  him- 
self would  be  the  leader  of  the  rebels.  It  is  needless  to 
remark  how  later  events  showed  the  executive  weakness  that 
Smith  pointed  out, — a  weakness  which  cost  thousands  of  valu- 
able lives  and  millions  of  treasure;  but  the  man  mingled 
Utopian  fallacies  with  his  shrewd  suggestions.  He  talked  as 
from  a  strong  mind  utterly  unenlightened  by  the  teachings  of 
history.  Finally,  he  told  us  what  he  would  do,  were  he  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  went  on  to  mention  that  he 
might  one  day  so  hold  the  balance  between  parties  as  to  render 
his  election  to  that  office  by  no  means  unlikely. 

"  Who  can  wonder  that  the  chair  of  the  National  Executive 
had  its  place  among  the  visions  of  this  self-reliant  man  ?  He  had 
already  traversed  the  roughest  part  of  the  way  to  that  coveted 
position.  Born  in  the  lowest  ranks  of  poverty,  without  book- 
learning  and  with  the  homeliest  of  all  human  names,  he  had 
made  himself  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  a  power  upon  earth. 
Of  the  multitudinous  family  of  Smith,  irom  Adam  down 
(Adam  of  the  '  Wealth  of  Nations',  [  mean),  none  had  so  won 
human  hearts  and  shaped  human  lives  as  this  Joseph.  His 
influence,  whether  for  good  or  for  evil,  is  potent  to-day,  and 
the  end  is  not  yet. 

"I  have  endeavored  to  give  the  details  of  my  visit  to  the 
Mormon  Prophet  with  absolute  accuracy.  .If  the  reader  does 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  331 


not  know  just  what  to  make  of  Joseph  Smith,  I  cannot  help 
him  out  ot  the  difficulty.  I  myself  stand  helpless  before  the 
puzzle." 

A  member  of  Congress  wrote  to  his  wife  after  meeting 
Joseph  in  Washington: 

"Everything  he  says  is  said  in  a  manner  to  leave  an 
impression  that  he  is  sincere.  There  is  no  levity,  no  fanati- 
cism, no  want  of  dignity  in  his  deportment.  ,  He  is  apparently 
from  forty  to  forty-five  years  of  age,  rather  above  the  middle 
stature,  and  what  the  ladies  would  call  a  very  good-looking 
man.  In  his  garb  there  are  no  peculiarities,  his  dress  being 
that  of  a  plain,  unpretending  citizen.  He  is  by  profession  a 
farmer,  but  is  evidently  well  read.  *  *  Throughout 

his  whole  address  he  displayed  strongly  a  spirit  of  charity  and 
forbearance." 

The  Masonic  Grand  Master,  in  the  state  of  Illinois,  wrote 
of  Joseph  to  the  Advocate: 

"  Having  recently  had  occasion  to  visit  the  city  of  Nauvoo 
I  cannot  permit  the  opportunity  to  pass  without  expressing  the 
agreeable  disappointment  that  awaited  me  there.  I  had  sup- 
posed, from  what  I  had  previously  heard,  that  I  should  wit- 
ness an  impoverished,  ignorant  and  bigoted  population,  com- 
pletely priest-ridden  and  tyrannized  over  by  Joseph  Smith,  the 
great  Prophet  of  these  people. 

"  On  the  contrary,  to  my  surprise,  I  saw  a  people  appar- 
ently happy,  prosperous  and  intelligent.  Every  man  appeared 
to  be  employed  in  some  business  or  occupation.  I  saw  no 
idleness,  no  intemperance,  no  noise,  no  riot;  all  appeared  to 
be  contented,  with  no  desire  to  trouble  themselves  with  any- 
thing except  their  own  affairs.  With  the  religion  of  this  peo- 
ple I  have  nothing  to  do;  if  they  can  be  satisfied  with  the 
doctrines  of  their  new  revelation,  they  have  a  right  to  be  so. 
The  constitution  of  the  country  guarantees  to  them  the  right 
of  worshiping  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  con- 
science, and  if  they  can  be  so  easily  satisfied,  why  should  we, 
who  differ  with  them,  complain?  * 

"During  my  stay  of  three  days  I  became  well  acquainted 
with  their  principal  men,  and  more  particularly  with  their 
Prophet.  I  found  them  hospitable,  polite,  well-informed  and 
liberal.  With  Joseph  Smith,  the  hospitality  of  whose  house  I 
kindly  received,  I  was  well  pleased.  Of  course,  on  the  subject 
of  religion  we  widely  differed,  but  he  appeared  to  be  quite  as 
willing  to  permit  me  to  enjoy  my  right  of  opinion  as  I  think 


332  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

we  all  ought  to  be  to  let  the  Mormons  enjoy  theirs.  But  instead 
of  the  ignorant  and  tyrannical  upstart,  judge  my  surprise 
at  finding  him  a  sensible,  intelligent  companion  and  gentle- 
manly man.  In  frequent  conversations  with  him  he  gave  me 
every  information  that  I  desired,  and  appeared  to  be  only 
pleased  at  being  able  to  do  so.  He  appears  to  be  much 
respected  by  all  the  people  about  him,  and  has  their  entire 
confidence.  He  is  a  fine-looking  man,  about  thirty- six  years 
of  age,  and  has  an  interesting  family." 

An  officer  of  the  United  States  artillery  who  visited  Nau- 
voo  in  September,  1842,  said: 

"  The  Smiths  are  not  without  talent,  and  are  said  to  be  as 
brave  as  lions.  Joseph,  the  chief,  is  a  noble-looking  fellow,  a 
Mahomet  every  inch  of  him.  *  *  *  The  city  of  ISTauvoo 
contains  about  ten  thousand  souls,  and  is  rapidly  increasing. 
It  is  well  laid  out,  and  the  municipal  affairs  appear  to  be  well 
conducted.  The  adjoining  country  is  a  beautiful  prairie.  Who 
will  say  that  the  '  Mormon '  Prophet  is  not  among  the  great 
spirits  of  the  age?" 

In  1842  or  1843,  a  Methodist  preacher  by  the  name  of 
Prior  visited  Nauvoo  and  on  the  Sabbath  day  attended  relig- 
ious services  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  a  sermon  by  the 
Prophet.  He  published  the  following  description  of  Joseph's 
.appearance  and  words : 

"I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  various  feelings  of  my 
bosom  as  I  took  my  seat  in  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  congre- 
gation, who  were  waiting  in  breathless  silence  for  his  appear- 
ance. While  he  tarried,  I  had  plenty  of  time  to  revolve  in 
my  mind  the  character  and  common  report  of  that  truly  sin- 
gular personage.  I  fancied  that  I  should  behold  a  counte- 
nance sad  and  sorrowful,  yet  containing  the  fiery  marks  of 
rage  and  exasperation.  I  supposed  that  I  should  be  enabled  to 
discover  in  him  some  of  those  thoughtful  and  reserved  fea- 
tures, those  mystic  and  sarcastic  glances,  which  I  had  fancied 
the  ancient  sages  to  possess.  I  expected  to  see  that  fearful, 
faltering  look  of  conscious  shame  which,  from  what  I  had 
heard  of  him,  he  might  be  expected  to  evince.  He  appeared 
at  last;  but  how  was  I  disappointed  when  instead  of  the  heads 
and  horns  of  the  beast  and  false  prophet,  I  beheld  only  the 
appearance  of  a  common  man,  of  tolerably  large  proportions. 
I  was  sadly  disappointed,  and  thought  that,  although  his 
appearance  could  not  be  wrested  to  indicate  anything  against 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  333- 

him,  yet  he  would  manifest  all  I  had  heard  of  him  when  he 
began  to  preach.  I  sat  uneasily,  and  watched  him  closely.  He 
commenced  preaching,  not  from  the  Book  of  Mormon,  how- 
ever, but  from  the  Bible ;  the  first  chapter  of  the  first  of  Peter 
was  his  text.  He  commenced  calmly,  and  continued  dispas- 
sionately to  pursue  his  subject,  while  I  sat  in  breathless  silence, 
waiting  to  hear  that  foul  aspersion  of  the  other  sects,  that  dia- 
bolical disposition  of  revenge,  and  to  hear  that  rancorous 
denunciation  of  every  individual  but  a  Mormon;  I  waited  in 
vain;  I  listened  with  surprise;  I  sat  uneasy  in  my  seat,  and 
could  hardly  persuade  myself  but  that  he  had  been  apprised  of 
my  presence,  and  so  ordered  his  discourse  on  my  account,  that 
I  might  not  be  able  to  find  fault  with  it;  for  instead  of  a  jum- 
bled jargon  of  half-connected  sentences,  and  a  volley  of  impre- 
cations, and  diabolical  and  malignant  denunciations,  heaped 
upon  the  heads  of  all  who  differed  from  him,  and  the  dreadful 
twisting  and  wresting  of  the  Scriptures  to  suit  his  own  pecu- 
liar views,  and  attempt  to  weave  a  web  of  dark  and  mystic 
sophistry  around  the  gospel  truths,  which  I  had  anticipated, 
he  glided  along  through  a  very  interesting  and  elaborate  dis- 
course with  all  the  care  and  happy  facility  of  one  who  was 
well  aware  of  his  important  station,  and  his  duty  to  God  and 


In  1843,  an  English  traveler  wrote  a  letter  which  appeared 
in  most  of  the  American  newspapers  concerning  a  visit  to 
Nauvoo.  He  first  recites  many  of  the  awful  tales  which  he 
had  heard  concerning  the  Prophet  and  the  Saints,  and 
describes  the  fears  for  his  own  life  which  were  entertained  by 
his  friends  should  he  put  himself  into  the  Prophet's  power, 
evidently  taking  much  credit  to  himself  for  his  "  chivalric  " 
and  "  foolhardy  "  enterprise.  But  when  he  reaches  JSTauvoo, 
he  finds  all  his  fears  and  adventurous  calculations  dispelled; 
so  he  sits  calmly  down  to  make  a  dispassionate  review  of  the 
city  and  its  founder.  A  portion  of  his  letter  is  as  follows : 

"  The  city  is  of  great  dimensions,  laid  out  in  beautiful 
order;  the  streets  are  wide,  and  cross  each  other  at  right 
angles,  which  will  add  greatly  to  its  order  and  magnificence 
when  finished.  The  city  rises  on  a  gentle  incline  from  the 
rolling  Mississippi,  and  as  you  stand  near  the  temple,  you  may 
gaze  on  the  picturesque  scenery  around ;  at  your  side  is  the 
temple,  the  wonder  of  the  world;  round  about,  and  beneath, 


334  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

you  may  behold  handsome  stores,  large  mansions,  and  fine 
cottages,  interspersed  with  varied  scenery;  at  the  foot  of  the 
town  rolls  the  noble  Mississippi,  bearing  upon  its  bosom  the 
numerous  steam-ships  which  are  conveying  the  Mormons  from 
all  parts  of  the  world  to  their  home.  I  have  seen  them  landed, 
and  I  have  beheld  them  welcomed  to  their  homes  with  the 
tear  of  joy  and  the  gladdening  smile,  to  share  the  embrace  of 
all  around.  I  have  heard  them  exclaim,  How  happy  to  live 
here!  how  happy  to  die  here!  and  then  how  happy  to  rise 
here  in  the  resurrection!  It  is  their  happiness;  then  why  dis- 
turb the  Mormons  so  long  as  they  are  happy  and  peaceable, 
and  are  willing  to  live  so  with  all  men?  I  would  say,  'Let 
them  live.' 

"  The  inhabitants  seem  to  be  a  wonderfully  enterprising 
people.  The  walls  of  the  temple  have  been  raised  considera- 
bly this  summer;  it  is  calculated,  when  finished,  to  be  the 
glory  of  Illinois.  They  are  endeavoring  to  establish  manufac- 
tories in  the  city.  They  have  enclosed  large  farms  on  the 
prairie  ground,  on  which  they  have  raised  corn,  wheat,  hemp, 
etc.;  and  all  this  they  have  accomplished  within  the  short 
space  of  four  years.  I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  another 
people  in  existence  who  could  have  made  such  improvements 
in  the  same  length  of  time,  under  the  same  circumstances. 
And  here  allow  me  to  remark,  that  there  are  some  here  who 
have  lately  emigrated  to  this  place,  who  have  built  them-^ 
selves  large  and  convenient  houses  in  the  town;  others  on 
their  farms  on  the  prairie,  who,  if  they  had  remained  at  home, 
might  have  continued  to  live  in  rented  houses  all  their  days, 
and  never  once  have  entertained  the  idea  of  building  one  for 
themselves  at  their  own  expense. 

"Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon  Prophet,  is  a  singular  char- 
acter; he  lives  at  the 'Kauvoo  Mansion  House,'  which  is,  I 
understand,  intended  to  become  a  home  for  the  stranger  and 
traveler;  and  I  think,  from  my  own  personal  observation,  that 
it  will  be  deserving  of  the  name.  The  Prophet  is  a  kind,  cheer- 
ful, sociable  companion.  I  believe  that  he  has  the  good-will 
of  the  community  at  large,  and  that  he  is  ever  ready  to  stand 
by  and  defend  them  in  any  extremity;  and  as  I  saw  the 
Prophet  and  his  brother  Hyrum  conversing  together  one  day, 
I  thought  I  beheld  two  of  the  greatest  men  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  I  have  witnessed  the  Mormons  in  their  assemblies 
on  a  Sunday,  and  I  know  not  where  a  similar  scene  could  be 
effected  or  produced.  With  respect  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Prophet,  I  must  say  that  there  are  some  things  hard  to  be  under- 
stood; but  he  invariably  supports  himself  from  our  good  old 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 


335 


>iblo.  Peace  and  harmony  reign  in  the  city.  The  drunkard 
scarcely  ever  seen,  as  in  other  cities,  neither  does  the  awful 
imprecation  or  profane  oath  strike  upon  your  ear;  but,  while 
all  is  storm,  and  tempest,  and  confusion  abroad  Tespecting  the 
Mormons,  all  is  peace  and  harmony  at  home." 

In  June,  1851,  a  work  appeared  entitled  "The  Mormons" 
published  by  a  journalist  connected  with  the  Morning  Chronicle, 
London,  England.  The  author  had  made  some  close  personal 
researches  into  the  question,  and  the  volume  was  the  candid 
expression  of  his  matured  views.  Being  skeptical,  and  having 
little  sympathy  for  a  religious  movement  of  this  character, 
naturally  his  conclusions  were  colored  by  his  prejudices.  But 
he  says: 

"Joseph  Smith  was  indeed  a  remarkable  man;  and,  in 
summing  up  his  character,  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  decide, 
whether  he  were  indeed  the  vulgar  impostor  which  it  has  been 
the  fashion  to  consider  him,  or  whether  he  were  a  sincere  fan- 
atic who  believed  what  he  taught.  But  whether  an  impostor, 
who,  for  the  purposes  of  his  ambition,  concocted  the  fraud  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  or  a  fanatic  who  believed  and  promul- 
gated a  fraud  originally  concocted  by  some  other  person,  it 
must  be  admitted  that  he  displayed  no  little  zeal  and  courage; 
that  his  tact  was  great,  that  his  talents  for  governing  men  were 
of  no  mean  order,  and  that,  however  glaring  his  deficiencies 
in  early  life  may  have  been,  he  manifested,  as  he  grew  older, 
an  ability  both  as  an  orator  and  a  writer,  which  snowed  that 
he  possessed  strong  natural  gifts,  only  requiring  cultivation  to 
have  raised  him  to  a  high  reputation  among  better  educated 
men.  There  are  many  incidents"  in  his  life  which  favor  the 
supposition  that  he  was  guilty  of  a  deliberate  fraud  in  pretend- 
ing to  have  revelations  from  heaven,  and  in  palming  off  upon 
the  world  his  new  Bible;  but,  at  the  same  time,  there  is  much 
in  his  later  career  which  seems  to  prove  that  he  really  believed 
what  he  asserted — that  he  imagined  himself  to  be  in  reality 
what  he  pretended — the  chosen  medium  to  convey  a  new  gos- 
pel to  the  world — the  inspired  of  heaven,  the  dreamer  of 
divine  dreams,  and  the  companion  of  angels.  If  he  were  an 
impostor,  deliberately  and  coolly  inventing,  and  pertinaciously 
propagating  a  falsehood,  there  is  this  much  to  be  said,  that 
never  was  an  impostor  more  cruelly  punished  than  he  was, 
from  the  first  moment  of  his  appearance  as  a  prophet  to  the 
last.  Joseph  Smith,  in  consequence  of.  his  pretensions  to  be  a 
seer  and  prophet  of  God,  lived  a  life  of  continual  misery  and 


336  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

persecution.  He  endured  every  kind  of  hardship,  contumely 
and  suffering.  He  was  derided,  assaulted  and  imprisoned. 
His  life  was  one  long  scene  of  peril  and  distress,  scarcely 
brightened  by  the  brief  beam  of  comparative  repose  which  he 
enjoyed  in  his  own  city  of  Nauvoo.  In  the  contempt  show- 
ered upon  his  head  his  whole  family  shared.  Father  and 
mother,  and  brothers,  wife  and  friends,  were  alike  involved 
in  the  ignominy  of  his  pretensions,  and  the  sufferings  that 
resulted.  He  lived  for  fourteen  years  amid  vindictive  enemies, 
who  never  missed  an  opportunity  to  vilify,  to  harass,  and  to- 
destroy  him;  and  he  died  at  last  an.  untimely  and  miserable 
death,  involving  in  his  fate  a  brother  to  whom  he  was  tenderly 
attached.  If  anything  can  tend  to  encourage  the  supposition  that  Jos- 
eph Smith  was  a  sincere  enthusiast  maddened  with  religious  fren- 
zies, an  many  have  been  before  and  will  be  after  him — and  that  he 
had  strong  and  invincible  faith  in  his  own  high  pretensions  and  divine 
mission,  it  is  the  notability  that  unless  supported  by  such  feelings,  he 
would  Jtave  renounced  the  unprofitable  and  ungrateful  task,  and 
sought  refuge  from  persecution  and  misery  in  private  life  and  honor- 
able industry.  But  whether  knave  or  lunatie,  whether  a  liar  or  a 
true  man,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  he  was  one  of  the  most  extra- 
ordinary persons  of  his  time,  a  man  of  rude  genius,  wlio  accom- 
plished a  much  greater  work  than  he  knew;  and  whose  name, 
whatever  he  may  have  been  whilst  living,  will  take  its  place  among 
the  notabilities  of  the  world." 

A  writer  in  Chamber's  Encyclopaedia  speaking  of  the 
Prophet  says : 

"From  his  early  years-he  was  regarded  as  a  visionary  and 
a  fanatic;  a  fact  which  is  of  the  utmost  importance  as  afford- 
ing a  clue  to  his  real  character,  and  an  explanation  of  that 
otherwise  unaccountable  tenacity  of  purpose  and  moral  heroism 
displayed  in  the  midst  of  fiercest  persecution.  A  mere  impos- 
tor *  would  have  broken  down  under  such  a 
tempest  of  opposition  and  hate  as  Smith's  preaching  excited." 

The  foregoing  opinions  quoted  from  the  Prophet's  con- 
temporaries and  observers — his  opponents,  candid  though  they 
were — are  as  favorable  as  could  be  looked  for  in  a  skeptical, 
materialistic  age.  They  prove  all  that  can  be  asserted  of  the 
Prophet  by  his  believers,  except  the  essential  feature  of  his 
inspiration.  This  could  not  be  testified  to  by  any  except  a 
believer.  His  reviewers,  whom  we  have  quoted,  judge  entirely 
from  external  evidence.  They  saw  the  phenomenon  presented 


JOSEPH     THE     Pi.  ,/lIET.  337 

by  his  life  and  work,  and  recorded  it;  excluding  entirely  from 
their  consideration  of  his  character  and  deeds  all  thought  of 
the  superhuman.  And  yet  such  candid  judgment  of  these 
men  is  worthy  of  preservation ;  it  reinforces  to  the  world  the 
idea  expressed  of  him  by  those  who  accepted  the  faith  wlm-h 
he  taught.  If  some  of  these  opposing  writers  could  have 
known  him  as  intimately  as  his  brethren  knew  him,  the  same 
sincerity  which  prompted  their  favorable  testimony  concern- 
ing his  remarkable  character  must  have  compelled  them  to 
speak  of  those  finer  qualities  which  endeared  him  to  the 
Saints.  The  Prophet  was  only  a  man ;  but  he  was  a  good 
man,  an  inspired  man,  a  better  man  than  he  could  have  been 
without  the  inspiration  of  his  master,  Christ.  In  all  his  actions 
he  was  fearless  as  an  angel  of  light,  Xot  in  all  that  has  ever 
been  written  or  said  of  him  by  friend  or  foe  is  there  one  word 
to  impugn  the  magnificent  physical  bravery  and  moral  courage 
of  Joseph  Smith.  Withal  he  was  as  meek  and  gentle  as  a  little 
child.  Disciplined  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  which  was  his  con- 
stant monitor,  he  put  away  from  him  alike  the  fear  of  men 
and  the  ambitions  of  this  world.  These  were  things  which  a 
remote  or  casual  observer  would  not  be  likely  to  discover. 

It  cannot  be  expected  that  any  non-believer  will  testify  to 
the  prophetic  power  of  Joseph  Smith.  To  admit  it  is  to 
believe.  And  yet  this  power,  too,  can  be  proved  by  external 
evidence.  Of  his  predictions,  not  one  word  has  failed.  His 
inspiration  may  also  be  proved  by  external  evidence.  It  is 
now  admitted  by  every  student  of  his  life  and  work  that  the 
Book  of  Mormon  came  from  or  through  him.  This  work 
could  not  have  been  originated  by  any  man  in  the  nineteenth 
century. 

But  the  best  evidence  of  the  divine  inspiration  which  had 
descended  upon  him  is  not  external.  It  is  like  faith  in  Christ. 
It  is  the  whisper  of  the  spirit.  During  Joseph  Smith's  life- 
time many  thousands  of  people  bore  solemn  testimony  that 
they  knew  he  was  a  Prophet  of  God.  Since  his  death  many 
more  thousands  have  declared  the  same  knowledge.  Such 
proof  may  be  insufficient  for  the  world,  but  it  is  enough  for 

the  Saints.     The  world-  says  that  men  who  knew  him  were 
22 


338  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

deceived  by  his  personal  magnetism.  But  what  shall  be 
said  of  men  who  believe  and  yet  never  saw  him  ?  Very  few 
of  the  Latter-day  Saints  living  to-day  ever  met  the  Prophet. 
Magnetism  has  a  limited  circle  and  a  limited  duration. 
Inspiration  is  infinite  and  eternal.  The  men  wrho  never  saw 
Jesus  Christ  believe  on  Him  because  the  Holy  Spirit  inspires 
belief;  the  men  who  never  saw  Joseph  Smith  believe  in  him 
because  the  Holy  Spirit  inspires  belief.  The  Jews  were  wit- 
nesses to  the  miracles  of  our  Savior.  Their  great  historian 
Josephus  says  : 

"Now  there  was  about  this  time  Jesus,  a  wise  man,  if  it 
be  lawful  to  call  him  a  man ;  for  he  was  a  doer  of  wonderful  works, 
a  teacher  of  such  men  as  received  the  truth  with  pleasure.  He 
drew  over  to  him  both  many  of  the  Jews  and  many  of  the 
Gentiles.  He  was  Christ.  And  when  Pilate  at  the  suggestion 
of  the  principal  men  amongst  us,  had  condemned  him  to  the 
cross,  those  that  loved  him  at  the  first  did  not  forsake  him ; 
for  he  appeared  to  them  alive  again  the  third  day ;  as  the 
divine  prophets  had  foretold  these  and  ten  thousand  other 
wonderful  things  concerning  him.  And  the  tribe  of  Chris- 
tians, so  named  from  him,  are  not  extinct  at  this  day." 

But  Josephus  remained  a  Jew,  and  very  few  of  his  race 
accepted  the  Redeemer,  despite  their  knowledge  of  His  works; 
they  had  only  the  external  testimony  which  is  insufficient,  they 
hardened  their  hearts  against  the  internal  testimony  which  is 
all-convincing.  Josephus'  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ  is  no 
stronger,  considering  the  time  in  which  he  lived,  than  is  the 
testimony  of  some  of  Joseph  Smith's  unbelieving  commenta- 
tors, considering  the  age  in  wrhich  they  lived.  If  Christians 
were  dependent  to-day  solely  upon  the  history  of  Christ's 
work,  their  faith  might  be  insecure ;  but  they  have  that  testi- 
mony of  the  spirit  which  gives  to  the  sincere  seeker  after 
truth  a  conviction  so  firm  as  to  be  unassailable  by  all  the  power 
of  Satan.  It  is  this  same  spirit  which  convinces  the  Saints  of 
latter  days  that  as  truly  as  Christ  lived,  God's  only  begotten 
Son,  as  truly  as  He  performed  a  divine  mission  upon  earth,  as 
truly  as  He  died  upon  Calvary  a  martyr  to  redeem  a  fallen  world; 
just  so  truly  was  Joseph  Smith  ordained  and  inspired  of  God  to 
reveal  His  truths  and  lead  men  back  out  of  the  darkness  of 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  339 

ages  and  into  communion  with  the  heavens.  The  physical 
strength  and  the  mental  power  of  an  unbelieving  world  may 
be  arrayed  against  the  followers  of  this  Prophet  of  latter  days; 
as  these  same  powers  were  arrayed  against  the  early  Christians. 
But  prisons  and  crosses  and  swords  and  bullets  cannot  undo  a 
fact.  They  may  operate  upon  the  fears  of  men  and  they  may 
induce  recantation;  but  they  cannot  destroy  absolute  knowledge. 

As  the  years  pass  away  the  recognition  of  Joseph  Smith's 
wonderful  career  grows  more  widespread.  The  day  is  near, 
even  if  it  has  not  already  come,  when  the  world  of  thinking 
but  unbelieving  men  must  accept  him  as  a  marvel.  They  con- 
fess the  mystery  of  his  power  and  the  unaccountable  grandeur 
of  his  deeds,  even  while  they  dispute  all  claim  to  inspiration. 
They  say  he  "was  a  doer  of  wonderful  works."  They  confess 
their  special  amaze  that  an  unlearned  farmer  lad,  dwelling  in 
the  backwoods  in  the  early  part  of  this  century,  should  have 
conceived,  of  his  own  mind,  a  system  of  theology  and  a  pur- 
pose of  church  organization,  a  plan  of  social  redemption,  so 
vast,  so  extraordinary;  and  that  he  should  have  held  to  his 
work  with  such  heroic  tenacity,  through  all  the  ills  of  life  and 
unto  the  final  scene  of  martyrdom.  No  words  of  a  believer 
can  of  themselves  convince  an  unbeliever.  There  is  but  one 
power  of  demonstration,  and  that  is  to  seek  by  humble  prayer 
for  the  voice  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  So  surely  as  man  prays  in 
faith  and  meekness,  so  surely  will  the  answer  come.  This 
answer  is  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ;  it  is  the  testimony  to 
His  servant  Joseph  Smith. 

The  world  will  not  put  this  to  the  test.  Only  here  and 
there  an  honest,  humble  soul,  struggling  to  the  light  will  bow 
before  the  eternal  throne  and  make  sincere  petition  for  guid- 
ance. 

By  this  testimony  will  the  age  be  judged.  "We  declare 
unto  all  to  whom  these  words  shall  come  that  Joseph  Smith 
was  a  Prophet  of  God.  Flesh  and  blood  have  not  revealed  it 
unto  us,  but  our  Father  which  is  in  heaven ;  and  this  holy 
revelation  is  the  gift,  exclusively,  to  no  man  and  no  class  of 
men.  It  is  free  to  all  who  will  seek  for  it  in  odedience  and 
sincere  humility. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

DR.    J.    C.    BENNETT  JOINS  THE  CHURCH — NAUVOO    CITY   CHARTERED 

NAUVOO      UNIVERSITY     AND       LEGION     ORGANIZED — JOSEPH 

SMITH       COMMISSIONED      AS       LIEUTENANT-GENERAL      OF     THE 

STATE    MILITIA TEMPLE    SITE DEDICATION     OF    THE    TEMPLE 

— AN   IMPORTANT    CONFERENCE. 

WITH  the  establishment  of  Nauvoo  as  a  city  Dr.  John  C.  Ben- 
nett came  into  prominent  association  with  the  Church.  He 
was  quarter-master  general  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  and  a  man 
of  extensive  acquirements  and  many  ambitions.  At  the  time 
of  the  Prophet's  imprisonment  in  Missouri  he  had  offered  his 
services  to  secure  Joseph's  release,  by  force,  if  necessary,  but 
the  tender  was  not  accepted.  His  expressed  sympathy  was  no 
doubt  sincere.  He  saw  the  sufferings  of  the  people  and  was 
drawn  toward  them.  He  saw  the  grandeur  of  the  Prophet's 
character  and  was  attracted  by  it.  When  the  people  moved 
into  Elinois,  he  made  a  closer  examination  of  their  faith,  and 
accepted  it.  No  doubt  he  was  still  sincere  at  this  time;  and 
if  he  had  been  willing  to  heed  the  Prophet's  warning  and  to 
be  humble  and  pure,  he  might  have  been  a  blessing  to  the 
Church  for  many  years  and  might  have  lived  and  died  a 
happy  man,  with  a  full  assurance  of  eternal  salvation. 

On  Sunday,  the  24th  day  of  January,  1841,  Hyrum  Smith 
received  the  office  of  patriarch  in  the  Church,  to  succeed  his 
deceased  father;  he  was  also  by  revelation  sustained  as  a 
prophet  and  revelator  to  the  Church.  The  vacancy  in  the 
quorum  of  the  First  Presidency,  thus  occasioned,  was  filled  by 
the  selection  of  William  Law  to  be  second  counselor  to  Joseph. 

On  the  30th  day  of  January  a  special  conference  was  held 
at  Nauvoo  at  which  Joseph  was  elected  sole  trastee-in-trust 
for  the  Church,  to  hold  the  office  during  his  life,  his  successor 
to  be  of  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church.  This  action  was 
taken  in  pursuance  of  the  provisions  of  an  act  of  the  Illinois 
Legislature  concerning  religious  societies. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  341 

The  charter  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo  was  devised  by  Joseph, 
as  he  says  "on  principles  so  broad  that  any  honest  man  might 
dwell  secure  under  its  protective  influence  without  distinction 
of  sect  or  party."  It  was  comprehensive,  and  in  some  respects 
unusual,  but  its  provisions  were  purely  republican  and  the  end 
designed  by  its  framer  was  insured.  It  was  signed  by  Thomas 
Carlin,  governor,  and  was  certified  by  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
secretary  of  state. 

On  the  1st  day  of  February,  1841,  the  charter  for  the 
city  of  ISTauvoo  took  effect.  On  the  same  day  an  election  was 
held  for  mayor  and  members  of  the  city  council.  John  C. 
Bennett  was  elected  mayor;  with  William  Marks,  Samuel  H. 
Smith,  Daniel  H.  Wells  and  ^s"ewel  K.  Whitney  for  aldermen; 
and  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Charles  C. 
Rich,  John  T.  Barnett,  Wilson  Law,  Don  Carlos  Smith,  John 
P.  Greene  and  Vinson  Knight  for  councilors. 

The  twenty-fourth  section  of  the  charter  of  the  city  of 
Nauvoo  was  as  follows: 

"  The  city  council  may  establish  and  organize  an  institu- 
tion of  learning  within  the  limits  of  the  city,  for  the  teachings 
of  the  arts,  sciences  and  learned  professions,  to  be  called  the 
1  University  of  the  City  of  ^auvoo,'  which  institution  shall 
be  under  the  control  and  management  of  a  Board  of  Trustees, 
consisting  of  a  Chancellor,  Registrar  and  twenty-three 
Regents,  which  Board  shall  thereafter  be  a  body  corporate 
and  politic,  with  perpetual  successors  by  the  name  of  the 
4  Chancellor  and  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  City  of 
Nauvoo,'  and  shall  have  full  power  to  pass,  ordain,  establish 
and  execute  all  such  laws  and  ordinances  as  they  may  consider 
necessary  for  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  said  University,  its 
officers  and  students;  provided  that  the  said  laws  and  ordi- 
nances shall  not  be  repugnant  to  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States,  or  of  this  state;  and  provided,  also,  that  the 
Trustees  shall  at  all  times  be  appointed  by  the  city  council, 
and  shall  have  all  the  powers  and  privileges  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  cause  of  education  which  appertain  to  the  Trustees 
of  any  other  college  or  university  of  this  state." 

In  pursuance  of  this  provision,  at  the  first  meeting  of  the 
city  council  Joseph  Smith  presented  an  ordinance  organizing 
the  university  and  appointed  a  board  of  trustees.  The  pur- 


342  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

pose  of  this  institution  of  learning  was  to  give  the  Saints  and 
all  others  who  loved  learning  an  opportunity  to  gain  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  arts  and  sciences;  for  Joseph  was  ever  desirous 
to  bring  his  brethren  and  friends  into  close  acquaintance  with 
all  that  was  best  in  the  experience  of  the  world.  One  of  the 
trustees  of  the  university  was  Daniel  H.  Wells,  who  also  had 
been  elected  an  alderman  of  the  city.  He  was  not  then  a 
member  of  the  Church,  but  he  was  a  young  man  of  such 
manifest  fairness  and  integrity  that  the  Prophet  was  glad  of  his 
assistance. 

The  twenty-fifth  section  of  the  city  charter  was  as 
follows : 

"  The  city  council  may  organize  the  inhabitants  of  said 
city,  subject  to  military  duty,  into  a  body  of  independent  mil- 
itary men,  to  be  called  the  'Nauvoo  Legion/  the  court  martial 
of  which  shall  be  composed  of  the  commissioned  officers  of 
said  legion,  and  constitute  the  law-making  department,  with 
full  powers  and  authority  to  make,  ordain,  establish  and  exe- 
cute all  such  laws  and  ordinances  as  may  be  considered  neces- 
sary for  the  benefit,  government  and  regulation  of  said  legion; 
provided  said  court  martial  shall  pass  no  law  or  act,  repug- 
nant to,  or  inconsistent  with,  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States,  or  of  this  state;  arid  provided  also  that  the  officers  of 
the  Legion  shall  be  commissioned  by  the  governor  of  the 
state.  The  said  Legion  shall  perform  the  same  amount  of 
military  duty  as  is  now  or  may  be  hereafter  required  of  the 
regular  militia  of  the  state,  and  shall  be  at  the  disposal  of  the 
mayor  in  executing  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  city  corpor- 
ation, and  the  laws  of  the  state,  and  at  the  disposal  of  the 
governor  for  the  public  defence,  and  the  execution  of  the 
laws  of  the  state  or  of  the  United  States,  and  shall  be 
entitled  to  their  proportion  of  the  public  arms ;  and  provided 
also,  that  said  Legion  shall  be  exempt  from  all  other  military 
duty." 

In  pursuance  of  the  provisions  of  the  charter  the  Nauvoo 
Legion  was  organized  on  the  4th  day  of  February,  1841. 
Subsequently  citizens  of  Hancock  County  enrolled  themselves 
in  the  Legion,  and  at  the  election  Joseph  Smith  was  chosen  as 
Lieutenant- General  and  John  C.  Bennett  Major- General,  with 
Wilson  Law  and  Don  Carlos  Smith  as  Brigadier-Generals  of 
the  two  cohorts  of  the  Legion. 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  343 

Speaking  of  the  University  and  the  Legion  in  a  letter 
written  at  this  time,  the  Prophet  describes  their  purpose  in 
these  words : 

"  The  l  Nauvoo  Legion'  embraces  all  our  military  power, 
and  will  enable  us  to  perform  our  military  duty  by  ourselves, 
and  thus  afford  us  the  power  and  privilege  of  avoiding  one  of 
the  most  fruitful  sources  of  strife,  oppression  and  collision 
with  the  world.  It  will  enable  us  to  show  our  attachment  to 
the  state  and  nation,  as  a  people,  whenever  the  public  service 
requires  our  aid,  thus  proving  ourselves  obedient  to  the  para- 
mount laws  of  the  land,  and  ready  at  all  times  to  sustain  and 
execute  them. 

"  The  c  University  of  the  City  of  N"auvoo'  will  enable  us  to 
teach  our  children  wisdom,  to  instruct  them  in  all  knowledge 
and  learning,  in  the  arts,  sciences  and  learned  professions.  We 
hope  to  make  this  institution  one  of  the  great  lights  of  the 
world,  and  by  and  through  it  to  diffuse  that  kind  of  knowledge 
which  will  be  of  practical  utility,  and  for  the  public  good, 
and  also  for  private  and  individual  happiness.  The  Regents 
of  the  University  will  take  the  general  supervision  of  all  mat- 
ters appertaining  to  education,  from  common  schools  up  to  the 
highest  branches  of  a  most  liberal  collegiate  course.  They 
will  establish  a  regular  system  of  education,  and  hand  over 
the  pupil  from  teacher  to  professor,  until  the  regular  gradation 
is  consummated  and  the  education  finished." 

At  a  session  of  the  city  council  held  on  the  8th  day  of 
February,  1841,  Joseph  reported  a  bill  for  an  ordinance  to  pro- 
hibit the  sale  of  liquor  at  retail,  which  was  subsequently  passed 
and  put  into  effect  under  the  title  "-An  ordinance  in  relation 
to  temperance."  The  purpose  of  this  measure  was  to  prevent 
dram  drinking,  and  the  event  proved  that  it  was  wisely  and 
safely  drawn,  for  Nauvoo,  under  the  strict  enforcement  of  this 
provision,  was  able  to  get  rid  of  the  low  and  the  depraved.  In 
the  discussion  of  the  bill  the  Prophet  spoke  at  some  length  on 
the  use  of  liquors,  showing  that  they  operated  as  a  poison  upon 
the  system  and  demonstrating  that  even  in  medicine  other  and 
harmless  things  might  take  their  place. 

The  part  taken  by  Joseph  Smith  indicates  his  willingness 
to  join  in  any  practical  labor  for  the  advancement  of  his  fel- 
low-men and  for  the  welfare  of  his  country.  He  consented  to 
act  as  a  member  of  the  citv  council  because  he  desired  to  assist 


344  JOSEPH     THE     PKOPHET. 

in  the  promotion  of  a  wholesome  municipal  government.  His 
inspiration  was  not  entirely  among  the  clouds.  It  prompted 
him  to  those  practical  works  without  which  no  community 
can  hope  to  achieve  happiness  and  prosperity.  He  became  a 
trustee  of  the  University  because  no  man  of  his  time  loved 
knowledge  more  than  he,  and  he  wished  to  assist  the  institu- 
tion to  present  the  wisdom  of  past  and  present  times  to  the 
rising  generation.  He  consented  to  act  as  Lieutenant-General 
of  the  ^auvoo  Legion — not  that  he  loved  military  powers  or 
expected  to  goto  war,  but  that  he  recognized  the  duty  of  every 
citizen  to  be  prepared  to  give  his  arm  to  his  country's  service. 
His  conduct  in  this  respect  is  a  reminder  that,  notwithstand- 
ing his  divine  appointment,  he  held  himself  amenable  to  every 
law  and  every  regulation  of  his  country. 

On  the  1st  day  of  March  Councilor  Joseph  Smith  pre- 
sented bills  for  ordinances  providing  for  the  freedom  of  all 
religious  sects  and  denominations,  and  the  freedom  of  all 
peaceable  public  meetings  within  the  city  of  N'auvoo.  The 
ordinances  were  passed  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
his  bills.  His  purpose  was  not  to  secure  freedom  for  the 
Saints  within  the  municipality ;  for  this  was  made  certain  by 
their  numerical  preponderance  and  by  the  fact  that  nearly  all 
the  officials  were  of  their  number.  But  it  was  always  Joseph's 
plan  to  encourage  further  discussion  and  consideration  of 
religious  matters,  and  he  desired  that  no  insult  or  injury 
should  be  offered  by  any  of  the  people  of  Nauvoo  to  any  min- 
ister, or  to  any  other  person  who  might  desire  to  present 
views  not  in  accordance  with  the  opinions  of  the  majority.  He 
himself  and  his  associates  had  suffered  so  much  at  the  hands 
of  a  bigoted  majority  in  the  past  that  he  determined  to  pre- 
vent any  such  offence  against  justice  and  against  heaven,  by 
the  citizens  of  iNauvoo. 

On  the  10th  day  of  March,  Governor  Thomas  Carlin 
issued  a  commission  to  Joseph  Smith  as  "Lieutenant-General, 
Nauvoo  Legion,  of  the  militia  of  the  State  of  Illinois." 

The  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people  was  never  neglected 
by  him,  and  during  this  busy  period  he  was  still  able  to  impart 
religious  instruction  from  time  to  time  as  the  needs  of  the 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  345 

people  made  such  instruction  necessary.  A  revelation  was 
received  on  the  19th  day  of  January,  1841,  concerning  the 
building  of  the  Nauvoo  temple  and  the  order  and  authority  of 
the  Priesthood;  also  making  proclamation  to  all  the  world  to 
give  heed  to  the  light  and  glory  of  Zion.  In  March  of  the 
same  year  the  Saints  were  commanded  by  revelation  to  build 
a  city  in  Iowa,  across  the  river  from  Nauvoo,  to  be  called  Zar- 
ahemla. 

The  building  of  the  £s"auvoo  house  was  directed  by  revel- 
ation that  it  should  be  an  abiding  place  for  the  weary  traveler 
who  might  seek  health  and  safety  and  the  opportunity  to  con- 
template the  word  of  the  Lord.  The  Prophet  and  his  brethren 
went  forward  to  fulfill  this  commandment. 

The  site  selected  for  a  temple  at  Nauvoo  was  most  beauti- 
ful for  situation.  The  city  of  Nauvoo  was  partly  built  on  a 
level  plain  and  on  a  noble  hill  which  rose  boldly  to  a  height 
which  gave  from  its  summit  a  commanding  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  The  site  of  the  temple  was  at  the  summit 
and  in  the  foreground  of  this  hill.  The  Mississippi  river 
swept  in  a  half-circle  around  the  lower  level  of  the  city,  and  a 
number  of  the  north  and  south  terminations  of  the  streets  in 
that  part  were  on  the  river.  The  temple  could  be  seen  from 
up  and  down  the  river  for  many  miles,  and  was  the  most  con- 
spicuous building  in  all  that  region.  The  view  irom  its  roof 
and  tower  was  very  grand — embracing  an  extensive  view  of 
the  river  and  a  wide  stretch  of  iorest  and  improved  lands  on 
both  the  Illinois  and  Iowa  sides  of  the  "Father  of  Waters." 

On  the  6th  day  of  April,  1841,  the  first  day  of  the  twelfth 
year  of  the  existence  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  in  this 
last  dispensation,  a  general  conference  was  convened  in  the 
city  of  Nauvoo.  At  the  same  time  conferences  were  being 
held  in  England  under  the  direction  of  Brigham  Young  and 
the  other  Apostles,  nine  of  that  quorum  being  in  that  land; 
and  at  Philadelphia  under  the  direction  of  Hyrum  Smith. 

At  Nauvoo  the  first  step  was  to  lay  the  corner  stone  of 
the  temple,  as  directed  by  revelation  from  the  Lord.  On  the 
morning  of  the  6th  a  vast  procession  was  formed  which  pro- 
ceeded to  the  grounds  selected  for  a  site.  A  hollow  square  of 


346  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

people  was  formed  around  the  spot;  and  the  officers  of  the 
Nauvoo  Legion,  with  the  architect  of  the  building,  the  speak- 
ers and  others,  were  conducted  to  the  stand  at  the  principal 
corner  stone — the  south-east.  After  an  address  by  Sidney 
Rigdon,  followed  by  hymns  and  prayer,  the  architect,  by  direc- 
tion of  the  Prophet,  lowered  the  south-east  corner  stone  to  its 
place,  and  Joseph  himself  pronounced  the  benediction,  saying: 

"  The  principal  corner  stone,  in  representation  of  the  First 
Presidency  is  now  duly  laid  in  honor  of  the  great  God;  and 
may  it  there  remain  until  the  whole  fabric  is  completed;  and 
may  the  same  be  accomplished  speedily ;  that  the  Saints  may 
have  a  place  to  worship  God,  and  the  Son  of  Man  have  where 
to  lay  His  head." 

After  an  adjournment  for  one  hour  the  people  again  assem- 
bled, and  the  south-west  corner  stone  was  laid  by  the  direction 
of  Don  Carlos  Smith  and  his  counselors,  presiding  over  the 
High  Priesthood.  The  north-west  corner  stone  was  laid  under 
the  direction  of  the  high  council;  and  the  north-east  corner 
stone  was  put  in  place  under  the  direction  of  Bishop  Newel 
K.  Whitney  and  other  officers  of  the  Aaronic  Priesthood. 
As  each  stone  was  placed  in  its  position  a  prayer  was  offered 
and  blessings  were  invoked  upon  it  by  the  Priesthood  of  the 
quorum  officiating. 

This  occasion  was  a  time  of  much  rejoicing  for  Joseph 
and  the  Saints.  After  all  their  sufferings  from  mobocracy  they 
had  at  last  reached  a  place  where  they  could  rest  for  a  season 
and  commence  the  erection  of  a  house  of  the  Lord.  The 
Lord  had  a  great  endowment  in  store  for  His  Saints.  A  suita- 
ble house  was  necessary  in  which  to  bestow  this  endowment — 
a  place  where  the  holy  ordinances  of  the  gospel  could  be 
administered.  The  foundation  stones  were  now  laid,  and  many 
and  fervent  were  the  prayers  which  were  offered  up  that  the 
Saints  might  be  permitted  to  complete  it.  Joseph  was  eager 
to  push  the  work  ahead.  The  people  were  sick  and  poor,  and 
it  seemed  like  a  very  heavy  undertaking  for  so  few  people  as 
there  were  there  to  attempt  the  erection  of  such  a  house.  But 
God  had  commanded,  and  they  stepped  forth  cheerfully  to 
obey. 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  347 

Joseph,  in  alluding  to  the  proper  manner  of  laying  the 
foundation  stones  of  temples,  said: 

"If  the  strict  order  of  the  Priesthood  were  carried  out  in 
the  building  of  temples,  the  first  stone  would  be  laid  at  the 
south-east  corner,  by  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church. 
The  south-west  corner  should  be  laid  next.  The  third  or  north- 
west corner  next;  and  the  fourth  or  north-east  corner  last. 
The  First  Presidency  should  lay  the  south-east  corner  stone, 
and  dictate  who  are  the  proper  persons  to  lay  the  other  corner 
stones.  If  a  temple  is  built  at  a  distance,  and  the  First  Presi- 
dency are  not  present,  then  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  Apostles 
are  the  persons  to  dictate  an  order  for  that  temple ;  and  in  the 
absence  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  then  the  Presidency  of  the 
Stake  will  lay  the  south-east  corner  stone;  the  Melchisedec 
Priesthood  laying  the  corner  stones  on  the  east  side  of  the 
temple,  and  the  lesser  Priesthood  those  on  the  west  side." 

At  a  later  time  President  Young  explained  concerning 
the  laying  of  the  corner  stones  of  the  Salt  Lake  temple : 

"The  First  Presidency,  who  are  Apostles,  started  on  the 
south-east  corner;  then  the  second  Priesthood  laid  the  second 
stone;  we  bring  them  into  our  ranks  at  the  third  stone,  which 
the  High  Priests  and  Elders  laid;  we  take  them  under  our 
wing  to  the  north-east  corner  stone,  which  the  Twelve  and  the 
Seventies  laid;  and  there  again  joined  the  Apostleship.  It 
circumscribes  every  other  Priesthood,  for  it  is  the  Priesthood 
of  Melchisedec,  which  is  after  the  order  of  the  Son  of  God.'7 

The  conference  at  Nauvoo  continued  five  days,  and  the 
time  was  a  happy  one  for  the  Saints.  In  an  address  to  the 
people  on  the  second  day,  the  Prophet  said : 

"  The  Presidency  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Lat- 
ter-day Saints,  feel  great  pleasure  in  assembling  with  the 
Saints  at  another  general  conference,  under  circumstances  so 
auspicious  and  cheering;  and  with  grateful  hearts  to  Almighty 
God  for  His  providential  regard,  they  cordially  unite  with  the 
Saints,  on  this  occasion,  in  ascribing  honor,  glory  and  blessing 
to  His  holy  name. 

"It  is  with  unfeigned  pleasure  that  they  have  to  make 
known  the  steady  and  rapid  increase  of  the  Church  in  this 
state,  the  United  States  and  Europe.  The  anxiety  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  principles  of  the  gospel,  on  every  hand  is 
intense,  and  the  cry  of  '  come  over  and  help  us,'  is  reaching 


348  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

the  Elders  on  the  wings  of  every  wind ;  while  thousands  who 
have  heard  the  gospel  have  become  obedient  thereto,  and  are 
rejoicing  in  its  gifts  and  blessings.  Prejudice,  with  its  attend- 
ant train  of  evils,  is  giving  way  before  the  force  of  truth, 
whose  benign  rays  are  penetrating  the  nations  afar  off. 

"  The  reports  from  the  Twelve  Apostles  in  Europe  are  very 
satisfactory,  and  state  that  the  work  continues  to  progress 
with  unparalleled  rapidity,  and  that  the  harvest  is  truly  great. 

In  the  eastern  states  the  faithful  laborers  are  successful, 
and  many  are  flocking  to  the  standard  of  truth.  Nor  is  the 
south  keeping  back.  Churches  have  been  raised  up  in  the 
southern  and  western  states,  and  a  very  pressing  invitation  has 
been  received  from  New  Orleans  for  some  of  the  Elders  to 
visit  that  city;  which  has  been  complied  with.  In  our  own 
state  and  immediate  neighborhood,  many  are  avowing  their 
attachment  to  the  principles  of  our  holy  religion,  and  have 
become  obedient  to  the  faith. 

"Peace  and  prosperity  attend  us;  and  we  have  favor  in 
the  sight  of  God  and  virtuous  men.  The  time  was  when  we 
were  looked  upon  as  deceivers,  and  that  Mormonism  would 
soon  pass  away,  come  to  nought  and  be  forgotten.  But  the 
time  has  gone  by  when  it  was  looked  upon  as  a  transient  mat- 
ter, or  a  bubble  on  the  wave,  and  it  is  now  taking  a  deep  hold 
in  the  hearts  and  affections  of  all  those  who  are  noble-minded 
enough  to  lay  aside  the  prejudice  of  education  and  investigate 
the  subject  with  candor  and  honesty.  The  truth,  like  the 
sturdy  oak,  has  stood  unhurt  amid  the  contending  elements, 
which  have  beat  upon  it  with  tremendous  force.  The  floods 
have  rolled,  wave  after  wTave,  in  quick  succession,  and  have 
not  swallowed  it  up.  '  They  have  lifted  up  their  voice,  0 
Lord;  the  floods  have  lifted  up  their  voice;  but  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  is  mightier  than  the  mighty  waves  of  the  sea,'  nor  have 
the  flames  of  persecution,  with  all  the  influence  of  mobs,  been 
able  to  destroy  it;  but  like  Moses'  bush,  it  has  stood  uncon- 
sumed,  and  now  at  this  moment  presents  an  important  specta- 
cle both  to  men  and  angels.  Where  can  we  turn  our  eyes  to 
behold  such  another?  We  contemplate  a  people  who  have 
embraced  a  system  of  religion,  unpopular,  and  the  adherence 
to  which  has  brought  upon  them  repeated  persecutions.  A 
people  who,  for  their  love  to  God  and  attachment  to  His  cause, 
have  suffered  hunger,  nakedness,  perils  and  almost  every  pri- 
vation. A  people  who,  for  the  sake  of  their  religion,  have 
had  to  mourn  the  premature  deaths  of  parents,  husbands, 
wives  and  children.  A  people  who  have  preferred  death  to 
slavery  and  hypocrisy,  and  have  honorably  maintained  their 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  349 

characters  and  stood  firm  and  immovable  in  times  that  have 
tried  m^n's  souls.  Stand  fast,  ye  Saints  of  God,  hold  on  a 
little  longer,  and  the  storm  of  life  will  be  past,  and  you  will 
be  rewarded  by  that  God  whose  servants  you  are,  and  who 
will  duly  appreciate  all  your  toils  and  afflictions  for  Christ's 
sake  and  the  gospel's.  Your  names  will  be  handed  down  to 
posterity  as  Saints  of  God  and  virtuous  men." 

On  the  third  day  of  the  conference,  the  Prophet  stated  to 
the  assembled  Saints  that  the  presidents  of  the  different 
quorums  would  be  presented  before  them  for  their  acceptance 
or  rejection.  He  declared  the  rule  of  acceptance  or  rejection 
to  be  by  a  majority  in  each  quorum;  and  he  exhorted  them  to 
deliberation,  faith  and  prayer,  that  they  might  be  strict 
and  impartial  in  their  examinations.  Objection  was  made  to 
Elder  John  E.  Page,  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  his 
case  was  laid  over  to  be  tried  before  his  quorum.  Elder  Page 
had  been  called  to  accompany  Apostle  Orson  Hyde  upon  his 
mission  to  Jerusalem,  but  had  felt  the  sacrifice  demanded  was 
too  great  for  him,  and  had  delayed  until  this  time. 

On  this  same  day  Lyman  Wight  was  chosen  as  an  Apostle 
to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Elder  David 
"W.  Patten. 

About  the  1st  of  May,  1841 ,  Joseph  received  a  visit  at 
Kauvoo  from  Hon.  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  of  Illinois.  On  this  occasion  Douglas  was  accom- 
panied by  his  political  opponent  Cyrus  Walker,  Esq.  "  The 
Little  Giant"  had  not  yet  entered  upon  the  greatness  of  his 
career  in  politics;  but  the  Prophet  recognized  in  him  a  master 
spirit  among  men.  Douglas  himself  was  so  deeply  impressed 
by  the  grandeur  of  the  Prophet's  character  that  he  sought  him 
out  with  deference. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  the  Prophet  directed  a  call  to  all  the 
Saints  to  gather  to  the  counties  of  Lee  in  Iowa  and  Hancock 
in  Illinois;  and  directed  the  discontinuance  of  all  stakes  of 
Zion  outside  of  these  two. 

Under  date  of  June  1st,  1841,  the  Prophet  records  that 
Elder  Sidney  Bigdon  had  been  ordained  a  prophet,  seer  and 
revelator.  This  ordination  was  probably  attended  to  in  the 
month  of  May. 


CHAPTER    L. 

JOSEPH'S   VISIT    TO    GOVERNOR   CARLIN    AT    QUINCY — ARREST  ON 
THE  OLD  REQUISITION  FROM    MISSOURI — A   SHERIFF  NURSED 

BY  HIS  PRISONER JUDGE  DOUGLAS   DISCHARGES    THE  PROPHET 

ON     WRIT     OF     "  HABEAS     CORPUS  " BROWNING'S     ELOQUENT 

APPEAL — DEATH    OF    DON  CARLOS  SMITH EVENTS    AT  NAUVOO, 

CLOSING  1841. 

ON  the  1st  day  of  Jane,  1841,  the  Prophet  accompanied  his 
brother  Hyrum  and  William  Law  as  far  as  Quincy,  Illinois,  on 
their  mission  to  the  east.  While  at  Quincy  he  called  upon 
Governor  Carlin  at  the  latter's  residence  and  was  treated  with 
marked  respect  and  kindness.  In  the  lengthy  conversation 
which  Joseph  had  with  Carlin,  nothing  was  said  concerning 
the  requisition  formerly  issued  by  the  state  of  Missouri  and 
endorsed  by  Carlin  for  the  arrest  of  the  Prophet.  This  requi- 
sition had  been  returned,  not  served;  all  excitement  concern- 
ing it  had  died  away;  and  the  absurd  character  of  the 
demand  made  for  Joseph's  person  was  supposed  to  be  under- 
stood by  Carlin  and  all  the  other  officials  of  the  state. 

After  enjoying  the  hospitality  of  the  Governor,  Joseph 
withdrew  and  had  only  proceeded  a  little  distance  on 
his  homeward  journey,  when  Carlin  sent  Thomas  King, 
sheriff  of  Adams  County,  Thomas  Jasper,  constable  of 
Quincy,  and  several  others,  as  a  posse,  with  an  officer 
from  Missouri  to  apprehend  the  Prophet  and  deliver  him 
up  to  the  emissaries  of  Boggs.  This  large  party  pur- 
sued Joseph  and  on  the  5th  day  of  June  overtook  and 
arrested  him  at  Heberline's  hotel,  Bear  Creek,  about  twenty- 
eight  miles  south  of  Nauvoo.  With  the  formal  act  of  arrest 
the  offence  charged  against  the  Prophet  was  made  known, 
that  he  was  "a  fugitive  from  justice;"  but  as  the  fact  of 
his  persecution  in  Missouri  was  well-known  to  the  posse, 
and  as  the  officer  from  Missouri  did  not  conceal  the  vindictive 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  351 

hate  with  .which  he  viewed  his  prisoner  nor  smother  his 
threats,  many  of  the  party  left  in  disgust  and  returned  to  their 
homes,  declaring  that  they  would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
such  outrageous  proceedings.  Their  action  had  a  salutary 
effect  upon  the  officers  who  remained.  Joseph  was  taken 
back  to  Quincy  and  there  obtained  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  from 
Charles  A.  Warren,  master  in  chancery.  Judge  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  arrived  at  Quincy  that  night  and  appointed  a  hearing  on 
the  writ  for  Tuesday,  the  8th  day  of  June,  in  Monmouth, 
Warren  County,  where  the  court  for  the  fifth  judicial  circuit 
for  Illinois  would  then  commence  the  regular  term.  On  the 
morning  after  the  arrest,  Sheriff  King  and  the  Missouri  officer 
with  their  aides,  went  to  Nauvoo  with  their  prisoner  in  charge. 
In  the  meantime  considerable  excitement  had  prevailed  in  the 
city,  as  news  of  the  Prophet's  arrest  had  been  conveyed  there, 
and  his  brethren  well  knew  that  for  him  to  return  to  Missouri 
was  to  return  to  assassination.  A  party  of  his  friends  including 
Hosea  Stout,  Tarleton  Lewis,  John  S.  Higbee  and  others,  had 
come  by  the  river  to  find  him  at  Quincy  but  had  missed  him 
on  the  way,  as  he  came  to  Nauvoo  by  land. 

Sheriff  King  was  suffering  greatly  from  ill  health;  and, 
after  leaving  Quincy,  was  seized  with  violent  illness.  At 
Nauvoo  the  Prophet  took  the  sheriff  to  his  own  house  and 
nursed  him  like  a  brother,  and  continued  this  assiduous  care 
for  his  captor  during  the  four  days  intervening  until  after  the 
arrival  at  Monmouth. 

On  Monday,  the  7th  day  of  June,  the  Prophet  departed 
very  early  in  the  morning  for  the  appointed  place,  which  was 
seventy-five  miles  distant.  He  was  accompanied  by  Charles 
C.  Rich,  Amasa  Lyman,  Shadrach  Roundy,  Reynolds  Gaboon, 
Charles  Hopkins,  Alfred  Randall,  Elias  Higbee,  Morris 
Phelps,  John  P.  Greene,  Henry  G.  Sherwood,  Joseph 
Younger,  Darwin  Chase,  Ira  Miles,  Joel  S.  Miles,  Lucien 
Woodworth,  Yinson  Knight,  Robert  B.  Thompson,  George 
Miller  and  others.  They  traveled  all  day  and  until  very  late, 
making  their  camp  about  midnight  in  the  road. 

On  Tuesday  morning,  June  8th,  they  reached  Monmouth 
where  great  excitement  prevailed.  A  multitude  of  citizens 


352  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

had  gathered,  filled  with  curiosity  to  obtain  a  sight  of  the 
Prophet,  whom  they  expected  and  hoped  to  see  loaded  down 
with  chains.  A  mob  incited  by  sectarian  bigotry  attempted 
to  seize  his  person;  but  the  sheriff,  whose  health  had  been 
partially  restored  through  Joseph's  careful  nursing,  declared 
that  he  would  protect  his  prisoner  at  all  hazards,  and  after 
much  difficulty  the  mob  was  repulsed  by  the  sheriff  and  the 
friends  of  order. 

An  effort  was  made  to  have  the  hearing  on  the  writ 
immediately,  but  the  state's  attorney  objected  and  secured  a 
postponement  until  the  next  morning.  On  that  day  the  citi- 
zens were  kept  in  a  state  of  ferment.  The  sectarian  enemies 
of  the  Prophet  hoped  they  saw  an  opportunity  to  injure  him, 
and  they  employed  a  great  array  of  counsel  to  assist  in  over- 
throwing the  writ  and  remanding  the  Prophet  back  to  his  old 
and  blood-thirsty  enemies.  Others  there  were  not  so  vindict- 
ive, who  besought  him  to  preach  to  the  populace  that  night. 
They  crowded  around  the  prison  and  flocked  to  the  window 
to  get  a  peep  at  him,  but  the  confinement  was  too  close  to  per- 
mit of  his  addressing  them  even  through  the  bars,  further 
than  to  promise  them  that  Elder  Amasa  Lyman  should  give 
them  a  sermon  on  the  succeeding  evening. 

At  an  early  hour  on  Wednesday  the  court  at  Monmouth 
was  filled  with  spectators  anxious  to  witness  the  proceedings. 
The  counsel  in  behalf  of  the  Prophet  were  Charles  A.  War- 
ren, Sidney  II.  Little,  0.  H.  Browning,  James  H.  Ralston, 
Cyrus  Walker  and  Archibald  Williams.  On  behalf  of  the 
prosecution  there  were  not  only  the  state's  attorneys,  but  a 
large  number  of  prominent  lawyers  employed  by  Joseph's 
opponents,  and  there  were  also  some  volunteer  prosecutors 
who  thought  to  get  some  fame  or  notoriety  out  of  this  case. 
Threats  of  the  most  awful  character  were  uttered  against  the 
Prophet's  advocates;  and  even  the  conservative  element 
warned  them  that  they  might  expect  no  further  political 
favors  from  that  county  if  they  persisted  in  defending  a  man 
so  repugnant  to  the  sectarian  religious  element.  They  were 
not  to  be  frightened  by  any  such  means,  and  they  pursued 
their  course  vigorously.  Two  points  were  raised  for  the 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  353 

Prophet.  One  was  that  the  writ  was  void,  having  once  been 
returned  to  the  executive  by  the  sheriff  of  Hancock  County ; 
and  the  other  was  that  the  whole  proceeding  on  the  part  of 
Missouri  was  illegal  and  that  the  indictment  upon  which 
the  requisition  was  based  had  been  obtained  through  fraud, 
bribery  and  corruption. 

A  young  lawyer  from  Missouri  was  among  the  volunteers 
to  plead  against  Joseph.  While  uttering  his  tirade  in  court 
he  was  stricken  by  such  pains  that  he  ceased  to  talk  and 
rushed  from  the  court  house.  Many  of  the  people  who  had 
been  amused  by  his  antics,  shouted  after  him  as  they  saw  his 
pale  face  and  the  contortions  of  his  stomach :  "  Now  we  know 
why  they  call  the  people  of  Missouri  pukes." 

0.  H.  Browning  made  the  principal  speech  for  the 
Prophet.  This  Mr.  Browning  afterward  became  a  member  of 
President  Johnson's  Cabinet  as  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  courage  and  possessed  vigor  and  eloquence 
in  speech.  After  covering  the  points  of  law  involved,  he 
recited  many  of  the  indignities  which  had  been  perpetrated 
upon  the  Prophet  in  Missouri  and  ridiculed  the  idea  of  his 
going  back  there  to  be  tried  by  his  sworn  murderers.  Mr. 
Browning  had  been  a  witness  to  much  of  the  distress  of  the 
Saints.  He  stated  the  circumstances  of  the  exile  from 
Missouri,  and  feelingly  and  emphatically  pointed  out  the 
impossibility  of  Joseph's  obtaining  justice  there.  He  said  that 
the  very  men  who  would  be  called  as  witnesses  for  the  defence 
in  the  Prophet's  case,  if  it  were  to  be  tried  in  Missouri,  were 
actually  forbidden  by  executive  decree  under  the  penalty  of 
death,  to  enter  upon  the  soil  of  that  blood-stained  state.  He 
recounted  the  cruelties  which  had  been  practiced  upon  the 
Saints  until  the  streams  of  Missouri  had  ran  with  sanguinary 
hues;  and  declared  that  he  himself  had  seen  women  and 
children  destitute  and  defenceless,  crossing  the  Mississippi  to 
seek  refuge  from  ruthless  mobs.  After  saying  that  to  send 
Joseph  Smith  back  to  Missouri  for  trial  was  but  adding  insult 
to  injury,  he  concluded: 

"  Great  God !  have  I  not  seen  it  ?  Yes,  mine  eyes  have 
beheld  the  blood-stained  traces  of  innocent  women  and  children, 

23 


354  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

in  the  drear  winter,  who  had  traveled  hundreds  of  miles  bare- 
foot through  frost  and  snow,  to  seek  a  refuge  from  their 
savage  pursuers.  It  was  a  scene  of  horror,  sufficient  to 
enlist  sympathy  from  an  adamantine  heart.  And  shall  this 
unfortunate  man,  whom  their  fury  has  seen  proper  to  select 
for  sacrifice,  be  driven  into  such  a  savage  land,  and  none  dare 
to  enlist  in  the  cause  of  justice?  If  there  was  no  other  voice 
under  heaven  ever  to  be  heard  in  this  cause,  gladly  would  I 
stand  alone,  and  proudly  spend  my  latest  breath,  in  defence  of 
an  oppressed  American  citizen." 

So  affecting  was  Browning's  address  that  many  of  the 
officers  and  spectators  of  the  court  wept  for  the  woes  of  the 
Prophet  and  his  persecuted  people. 

The  case  was  then  adjourned  until  the  next  morning.  In 
the  meantime,  Elder  Amasa  M.  Lyman  preached  a  sermon  to 
which  a  large  congregation  listened  attentively.  His  address 
was  marked  by  such  power  and  spirit  that  a  total  revulsion  in 
sentiment  took  place;  and  when  the  court  next  day  decreed 
the  discharge  of  the  prisoner,  the  populace  could  no  longer 
be  incited  by  jealous  priests  into  a  demonstration  against 
Joseph. 

The  opinion  of  Judge  Douglas  in  releasing  the  Prophet 
was  recorded  as  follows : 

"That the  writ  being  once  returned  to  the  Executive  by 
the  sheriff  of  Hancock  County  was  dead,  and  stood  in  the 
same  relationship  as  any  other  writ  which  might  issue  from 
the  circuit  court ;  and  consequently,  the  defendant  could  not 
be  held  in  custody  on  that  writ.  The  other  point,  whether 
evidence  in  the  case  was  admissable  or  not,  he  would  not  at 
that  time  decide,  as  it  involved  great  and  important  considera- 
tions relative  to  the  future  conduct  of  the  different  states. 
There  being  no  precedent,  as  far  as  they  have  access  to 
authorities,  to  guide  them ;  but  he  would  endeavor  to  examine 
the  subject,  and  avail  himself  of  all  the  authorities  which 
could  be  obtained  on  the  subject  before  he  would  decide  that 
point.  But  on  the  other,  the  defendant  must  be  liberated." 

About  2  p.  m.  on  Thursday,  June  10th,  the  Prophet  and 
his  company  started  upon  their  return  to  Nauvoo  where  they 
arrived  at  4  p.  m.  on  the  llth,  and  were  greeted  by  the 
joyous  acclamations  of  the  Saints. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  355 

Some  of  the  so-called  religious  publications  made  this 
trial  a  pretext  for  all  manner  of  false  and  senseless  utterances 
against  Joseph  and  the  people.  Their  purpose  was  very 
apparent.  The  ministers  who  preached  for  hire  and  divined 
for  money  feared  to  see  their  craft  in  danger;  the  growth  of 
the  Saints  was  too  rapid;  the  influence  of  Joseph  was  too  great. 
It  did  not  matter  to  these  enemies  of  the  work  that  the  Saints 
were  law-abiding  and  industrious  and  that  the  Prophet  exer- 
cised no  unrighteous  authority,  but  labored  in  love  and  charity 
among  his  brethren  and  all  people.  They  were  determined  to 
spread  their  lies  abroad  that  a  feeling  of  hatred  might  be 
incited  against  Joseph  and  the  people  of  Nauvoo;  and  they  were 
successful,  for  prejudice  continued  to  enlarge  its  circle  from 
that  time.  All  these  evil  reports  were  colored  by  state- 
ments of  the  Missouri  officials  who,  to  screen  themselves,  gave 
out  the  ex  parte  testimony  of  mobocrats  as  being  truthful  state- 
ments of  the  Missouri  persecutions.  A  few  papers  had  the 
courage  and  truth  to  examine  carefully  before  committing 
themselves;  and  were  led  to  protest  against  the  unhallowed 
warfare  waged  by  the  blood-thirsty  mob  against  Joseph  and 
his  law-abiding  and  order-loving  brethren  in  Kauvoo.  Among 
articles  of  this  character  was  one  which  appeared  in  the  Juliet 
Courier,  written  to  the  editor  of  that  journal  by  a  spectator  of 
the  trial  at  Monmouth,  from  which  the  following  is  an 
excerpt: 

"Before  this  reaches  you,  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  have 
heard  of  the  trial  of  Joseph  Smith,  familiarly  known  as  the 
Mormon  Prophet.  As  some  misrepresentations  have  already 
gone  abroad  in  relation  to  Judge  Douglas's  decision,  and  the 
merits  of  the  question  decided  by  the  judge,  permit  me  to  say, 
the  only  question  decided,  though  many  were  debated,  was  the 
validity  ot  the  executive  writ  which  had  once  been  sent  out,  I 
think  in  Sept.,  1840,  and  a  return  on  it  thai  Mr.  Smith  could 
not  be  found.  The  same  writ  was  issued  in  June,  1841.  There 
can  really  be  no  great  difficulty  about  this  matter,  under  this 
state  of  facts. 

"  The  judge  acquitted  himself  handsomely,  and  silenced 
clamors  that  had  been  raised  against  the  defendant. 

"  Since  the  trial  I  have  been  atNauvoo,  on  the  Mississippi, 
in  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  and  have  seen  the  manner  in 


356  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

which  things  are  conducted  among  the  Mormons.  In  the  first 
place,  I  cannot  help  noticing  the  plain  hospitality  of  the 
Prophet  Smith  to  all  strangers  visiting  the  town,  aided  as  he 
is  in  making  the  stranger  comfortable  by  his  excellent  wife,  a 
woman  of  superior  ability.  The  people  of  the  town  appear  to 
be  honest  and  industrious,  engaged  in  their  usual  avocations 
of  building  up  a  town,  and  making  all  things  around  them 
comfortable.  On  Sunday  I  attended  one  of  their  meetings,  in 
front  of  the  temple  now  building  and  one  of  the  largest  build- 
ings in  the  state.  There  could  not  have  been  less  than  2,500 
people  present,  and  as  well  appearing  as  any  number  that 
could  be  found  in  this  or  any  state.  Mr.  Smith  preached  in 
the  morning,  and  one  could  have  readily  learned,  then,  the 
magic  by  which  he  has  built  up  this  society,  because,  as  we 
say  in  Illinois,  'they  believe  in  him,'  and  in  his  honesty.  It 
has  been  a  matter  of  astonishment  to  me,  after  seeing  the 
Prophet,  as  he  is  called,  Elder  Rigdon  and  many  other 
gentlemanly  men  anyone  may  see  at  Nauvoo  who"  will  visit 
there,  why  it  is,  that  so  many  professing  Christianity,  and  so 
many  professing  to  reverence  the  sacred  principles  of  our  con- 
stitution (which  gives  free  religious  toleration  to  all),  have 
slandered  and  persecuted  this  sect  of  Christians." 

In  the  month  of  July,  1841,  the  Apostles  began  to  return 
to  Nauvoo  from  their  missions  to  Europe,  and  their  coming 
was  a  great  comfort  to  the  Prophet  in  his  hour  of  affliction. 
At  a  special  conference  which  was  held  at]STauvoo  on  the  16th 
of  August,  1841,  shortly  after  the  return  of  the  Twelve,  Joseph 
stated  to  the  people  there  assembled  that  the  time  had  come 
when  the  Apostles  must  stand  in  their  places  next  to  the  First 
Presidency.  They  had  been  faithful  and  had  borne  the  bur- 
den in  the  heat  of  the  day,  giving  the  gospel  triumph  in  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  and  it  was  right  that  they  should  now 
remain  at  home  and  perform  duty  in  Zion.  At  the  same  con- 
ference the  Twelve  selected  a  number  of  Elders  to  go  on  mis- 
sions, and  Joseph  stated  to  the  congregation  that  it  was  desir- 
able to  build  up  the  cities  in  Hancock  County,  Illinois,  and 
Lee  County,  Iowa. 

In  addition  to  the  woes  wrought  by  his  enemies  upon  the 
Prophet  he  had  cause  to  mourn  in  August.  His  infant  child 
Don  Carlos  died,  bringing  great  distress  upon  the  household. 
Also  his  youngest  brother  Don  Carlos  Smith  departed  this  life 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  357 

on  the  7th  day  of  August,  1841.  This  was  a  great  blow  to 
the  Prophet  and  the  family.  Don  Carlos  was  but  twenty-five 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  young  man 
of  considerable  promise,  and  had  been  very  active  and  zealous 
in  the  work  from  the  commencement.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  to  receive  the  testimony  of  Joseph  respecting  the  gospel. 
The  evening  after  the  plates  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  were 
shown  to  the  eight  witnesses,  a  meeting  was  held  at  which  all 
the  witnesses  bore  testimony  of  the  truth  of  the  latter-day 
dispensation.  Don  Carlos  was  present  at  this  meeting,  and 
also  bore  the  same  testimony.  He  was  ordained  to  the  Priest- 
hood when  only  fourteen  years  old,  and  at  that  age  accom- 
panied his  father  on  a  mission  to  his  grandfather  and  relatives 
in  St.  Lawrence  County,  New  York.  While  on  this  mission 
he  was  the  means  of  convincing  a  Baptist  minister  of  the  truth 
of  the  work  of  God.  After  this  he  took  several  missions,  and 
was  very  active  in  the  ministry  at  home,  being  one  of  the 
twenty-four  Elders  who  laid  the  corner  stones  of  the  Kirtland 
temple.  Before  he  was  quite  twenty  years  old  he  was  ordained 
President  of  the  High  Priests'  Quorum,  in  which  capacity  he 
acted  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  and  his  counselors  laid 
the  south-west  corner  stone  of  the  temple  at  Nauvoo.  He 
was  a  printer,  having  learned  the  business  in  the  office  of 
Oliver  Cowdery  at  Kirtland,  and  when  the  Elders'  Journal  was 
published  there,  he  took  charge  of  the  establishment.  After 
the  Saints  removed  to  Nauvoo,  he  commenced  making  prepar- 
ations for  publishing  the  Times  and  Seasons.  To  get  the  paper 
issued  at  an  early  date  he  was  under  the  necessity  of  cleaning 
out  a  cellar,  through  which  a  spring  was  constantly  flowing, 
that  being  the  only  place  where  he  could  put  up  the  press. 
He  caught  cold  at  this  labor,  and  this,  with  administering  to  the 
sick,  impaired  his  health,  which  he  never  fully  recovered 
again.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  Brigadier- General  of 
the  first  cohort  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  and  a  member  of  the 
city  council  of  Nauvoo. 

Like  Joseph  and  his  other  brothers,  he  was  a  splendidly- 
formed  man  physically,  being  six  feet  four  inches  high,  very 
straight  and  well-made,  and  strong  and  active.  He  was  much 


358  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

beloved  by  all  who  knew  him;  for  he  wras  wise  beyond  his 
years,  and  he  appeared  to  have  a  great  future  before  him. 

On  the  12th  day  of  this  month  Nauvoo  was  visited  by  a 
band  of  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  under  Chiefs  Keokuk  and  Kis- 
kukosh  and  Appenose.  The  party  consisted  of  about  one 
hundred  chiefs  and  braves  with  their  families,  and  they  had 
come  to  Nauvoo  to  see  the  Prophet.  At  the  landing  they 
were  met  by  Joseph  and  Hyrum  and  escorted  to  the  meeting 
ground  in  the  grove,  where  the  Prophet  proceeded  to  address 
them  upon  their  origin  and  the  promises  of  God  concerning 
them.  His  remarks  were  interpreted  to  them  and  gave  them 
great  delight.  Then  he  advised  them  to  cease  killing  each 
other  and  warring  with  other  tribes  and  besought  them  to 
keep  peace  with  the  whites.  In  reply  to  this,  Keokuk  said  he 
had  a  Book  of  Mormon  which  the  Prophet  had  given  him 
years  before .  Said  he  to  Joseph : 

"  I  believe  you  are  a  great  and  good  man.  I  look  rough, 
but  I  also  am  a  son  of  the  Great  Spirit.  I  have  heard  your 
advice;  we  intend  to  quit  fighting,  and  follow  the  good  advice 
you  have  given  us." 

On  the  27th  day  of  August,  1841,  Elder  Robert  Blashel 
Thompson  died  at  his  residence  in  Nauvoo  in  the  thirtieth 
year  of  his  age.  He  had  been  Joseph's  scribe  and  trusted 
friend,  and  the  Prophet  mourned  him  sincerely.  On  the  13th 
day  of  September,  1841,  Willard  Richards  was  appointed  to 
be  his  successor. 

On  the  13th  day  of  September,  1841,  Edward  Hunter  vis- 
ited Nauvoo  and  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Prophet.  This 
noble  man  had  journeyed  from  Chester  County  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  answer  to  the  gospel  call ;  and  he  brought  his  sub- 
stance with  him.  Being  a  man  of  wealth,  he  proved  a  bless- 
ing to  the  people  and  city. 

Brigadier-General  Swazey  and  the  Colonel  of  the  militia 
of  Lee  County,  Iowa,  invited  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  with  John 
C.  Bennett,  to  view  a  military  parade  at  Montrose  on  the  14th 
of  September,  1841.  They  accepted  the  invitation  and  were 
very  courteously  received  by  the  general  and  the  officers,  and 
every  mark  ot  respect  was  extended  to  them  by  the  militia.  A 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  359 

foolish  fellow  named  D.  W.  Kilbourn,  a  merchant,  took 
umbrage  at  the  presence  of  the  Prophet  and  his  party  and 
attempted  to  raise  a  riot.  During  the  noon  hour  when  the 
militia  were  resting  from  their  exercises,  he  gathered  a  large 
crowd  around  his  store  and  read  to  them  the  following  quota- 
tion: 

"  Citizens  of  Iowa: — The  laws  of  Iowa  do  not  require  you 
to  muster  under,  or  be  reviewed  by  Joseph  Smith  or  General 
Bennett,  and  should  they  have  the  impudence  to  attempt  it,  it 
is  hoped  that  every  person  having  a  proper  respect  for  himself 
will  at  once  leave  the  ranks." 

Neither  the  Prophet  nor  his  brother  was  in  military  costume, 
being  there  entirely  in  the  capacity  of  private  citizens,  and 
the  ridiculous  insult  was  so  apparent  that  even  Kilbourn's 
friends  resented  it.  After  the  exercises  were  over  the  Prophet 
was  escorted  to  the  river  landing  by  a  large  party  which  bade 
him  farewell  with  every  manifestation  of  respect  and  friendship. 

At  the  general  conference  which  was  held  in  the  grove  at 
Nauvoo  on  the  2nd,  3rd  and  4th  days  of  October,  1841,  many 
matters  of  Church  welfare  were  transacted.  At  the  request  of 
the  Twelve,  Joseph  gave  instruction  on  the  subject  of  baptism 
for  the  dead.*  His  remarks  were  a  revelation  of  comfort  to 
the  Saints  who  had  sorrowed  that  their  ancestry  had  been 
deprived  of.  the  privilege  of  hearing  the  gospel  truth.  Among 
other  things  which  the  Prophet  uttered  on  this  memorable 
occasion  were  the  following  sentiments : 

"  The  only  way  to  obtain  truth  and  wisdom,  is  not  to  ask 
it  from  books,  but  to  go  to  God  in  prayer,  and  obtain  divine 
teaching.  It  is  no  more  incredible  that  God  should  save  the 
dead,  than  that  he  should  raise  the  dead. 

"There  is  never  a  time  when  the  spirit  is  too  old  to 
approach  God.  All  are  within  the  reach  of  pardoning  mercy, 
who  have  not  committed  the  unpardonable  sin,  which  hath  no 
forgiveness,  neither  in  this  world,  nor  in  the  world  to  come. 
There  is  a  way  to  release  the  spirit  of  the  dead;  that  is  by  the 
power  and  authority  of  the  Priesthood — by  binding  and  loos- 
ing on  earth.  This  doctrine  appears  glorious,  inasmuch  as  it 

#  ^ee  note  4,  Appendix. 


360  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

exhibits  the  greatness  of  divine  compassion  and  benevolence 
in  the  extent  of  the  plan  of  human  salvation. 

"This  glorious  truth  is  well  calculated  to  enlarge  the 
understanding,  and  to  sustain  the  soul  under  troubles,  difficul- 
ties and  distresses.  For  illustration,  suppose  the  case  of  two 
men,  brothers,  equally  intelligent,  learned,  virtuous  and  lovely, 
walking  in  uprightness  and  in  all  good  conscience,  so  far 
as  they  had  been  able  to  discern  duty  from  the  muddy  stream 
of  tradition,  or  from  the  blotted  page  of  the  book  of  nature. 

"  One  dies  and  is  buried,  having  never  heard  the  gospel 
of  reconciliation;  to  the  other  the  message  of  salvation  is  sent, 
he  hears  and  embraces  it,  and  is  made  the  heir  of  eternal  life. 
Shall  the  one  become  a  partaker  of  glory,  and  the  other  be 
consigned  to  hopeless  perdition  ?  Is  there  no  chance  for  his 
escape?  Sectarianism  answers,  none!  none!!  none!!!  Such 
an  idea  is  worse  than  atheism.  The  truth  shall  break  down 
and  dash  in  pieces  all  such  bigoted  Pharisaism ;  the  sects  shall 
be  sifted,  the  honest-in-heart  brought  out,  and  their  priests  left 
in  the  midst  of  their  corruption." 

At  this  conference  the  Prophet  announced : 

"  There  shall  be  no  more  baptisms  for  the  dead,  until  the 
ordinance  can  be  attended  to  in  the  font  of  the  Lord's  house ; 
and  the  Church  shall  not  hold  another  general  conference, 
until  they  can  meet  in  said  house.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord!" 

The  conference  had  begun  under  discouraging  circum- 
stances. The  weather  was  unpropitious,  and  there  was  some 
ill  health.  But  before  its  conclusion  a  vast  number  of  the 
Saints  and  visitors  from  abroad  had  gathered,  and  at  the  last 
day  when  the  weather  became  more  favorable  the  congrega- 
tion was  a  multitude.  There  was  much  occasion  at  this  con- 
ference for  congratulation.  The  work  was  prospering  at  home 
and  abroad.  Unanimity  prevailed  among  the  Saints  in  the 
stakes  of  Zion;  and  the  missionary  Elders  were  constantly 
sending  up  reports  of  their  success  among  the  honest-in- 
heart. 

As  the  brethren  of  the  Twelve  had  taken  upon  their  own 
shoulders  many  of  the  burdens  which  the  Prophet  had  borne 
in  their  absence,  he  was  enabled  to  perform  greater  labors  in 
the  way  of  general  instruction  than  ever  before.  Under  his 
direction  the  temporal  interests  of  the  people  in  Nauvoo  pros- 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  361 

pered  greatly.  He  also  read  the  proofs  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, previous  to  its  being  stereotyped. 

On  the  8th  day  of  November,  1841,  the  baptismal  font  in 
tthe  Lord's  house  was  dedicated,  President  Brigham  Young 
being  spokesman. 

The  falsehoods  concerning  the  Saints  bore  evil  fruit.  Bad 
men  gathered  in  Hancock  and  Lee  and  made  depredations 
upon  the  property  of  the  Saints  and  other  citizens  alike.  The 
thefts  perpetrated  upon  other  citizens  were  attributed  to  the 
followers  of  the  Prophet ;  and  the  thieves  themselves  circu- 
lated the  report  secretly  that  these  evil  deeds  were  committed 
under  the  direction  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum.  So  industriously 
were  these  bad  reports  scattered  and  so  generally  were  they 
believed  that  in  November  of  1841,  the  Prophet  and  Hyrum 
.gave  out  to  the  world  their  innocence  of  these  deeds,  stating 
that  they  did  not  sanction  any  evil  practice  in  any  person 
whatever,  and  they  warned  all  people  of  Nauvoo  and  the  sur- 
rounding country  against  being  made  the  dupes  of  thieves, 
plunderers  and  falsifiers.  They  declared  that  the  Church 
would  purge  itself  of  all  persons  connected  with  any  such 
crime. 


CHAPTER    LI. 

THE    POWER  OF  HUMAN    HARMONY CHANGING    HELL  TO    HEAVEN 

JOSEPH  AS  A  SERVANT — HIS  SKETCH  OF  THE  CHURCH — A  RING- 
ING EDITORIAL — ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  RELIEF  SOCIETY — BEN- 
NETT BEGINS  HIS  PLOTS. 

UPON  one  occasion,  when  the  power  of  persecution  was 
descending  upon  the  people,  a  threat  of  the  mobocrats  was 
carried  to  the  Prophet.  It  was  this :  "  We  are  going  to 
drive  the  Mormons  to  hell,  this  time,  sure." 

With  an  entrancing  mildness  of  look  and  sweetness  of 
voice,  Joseph  replied : 

"Never  mind,  my  brethren,  if  they  drive  us  to  hell,  we'll 
turn  the  devil  out  and  make  a  heaven  of  it." 

This  sentiment  is  at  once  a  sermon  upon  unity  and  an 
epitome  of  the  history  of  the  Latter-day  Saints.  By  their 
union  and  system  of  mutual  help  they  have  again  and  again 
redeemed  wildernesses ;  every  time  demonstrating  that  the 
Prophet's  view  of  the  power  of  human  harmony  was  correct 
— for  where  the  love  of  truth  and  the  concord  of  the  Saints 
exist  there  is  no  room  for  Satan,  and  hell  itself  must  be  trans- 
formed into  a  region  of  bliss. 

Joseph  was  putting  these  principles  into  practice  at  Nau- 
voo,  and  a  beautiful  city  was  growing  out  of  a  marsh;  and 
institutions  for  human  liberty  and  human  advancement  were 
growing  out  of  the  most  adverse  conditions. 

Near  the  opening  of  1842  the  Prophet,  with  President 
Brigham  Young  and  Bishop  Newel  K.  Whitney,  began  to 
devise  a  plan,  by  which  a  cheap  and  expeditious  conveyance 
of  the  Saints  from  the  old  world  to  Nauvoo  might  be  secured 
through  an  united  effort;  and  the  mercantile  interests  of  the 
people  might  be  made  to  serve  the  general  welfare  and  protect 
and  help  the  poor.  The  Prophet  himself  did  not  hesitate  to 
engage  in  mercantile  and  industrial  pursuits;  the  gospel  which 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  36S 

he  preached  was  one  of  temporal  salvation  as  well  as  spiritual 
exaltation;  and  he  was  willing  to  perform  his  share  of  the 
practical  labor.  This  he  did  with  no  thought  of  personal  gain, 
for  in  opening  the  store  at  Nauvoo  he  said : 

"I  rejoice  that  we  have  been  enabled  to  do  as  well  as  we 
have,  for  the  hearts  of  many  of  the  poor  brethren  and  sisters 
will  be  made  glad  with  these  comforts  which  are  now 
within  their  reach." 

In  a  letter  to  Brother  Edward  Hunter,  under  date  of 
January  5th,  1842,  the  Prophet  shows  his  humility  and  the 
love  of  his  heart  in  these  words  : 

"The  store  has  been  filled  to  overflowing  and  I  have 
stood  behind  the  counter  all  day,  distributing  goods  as  steadily 
as  any  clerk  you  ever  saw,  to  oblige  those  who  were  com- 
pelled to  go  without  their  Christmas  and  New  Year's  dinners 
for  the  want  of  a  little  sugar,  molasses,  raisins,  etc.;  and  to 
please  myself  also,  for  I  love  to  wait  upon  the  Saints  and  to 
be  a  servant  to  all,  hoping  that  I  may  be  exalted  in  the  due 
time  of  the  Lord." 

What  a  picture  is  here  presented  !  A  man  chosen  by  the 
Lord  to  lay  the  foundation  of  His  Church  and  to  be  its 
Prophet  and  President,  takes  joy  and  pride  in  waiting  upon 
his  brethren  and  sisters  like  a  servant.  The  self-elected 
ministers  of  Christ  in  the  world  are  forever  jealous  of  their 
dignity  and  fearful  of  showing  disrespect  to  their  cloth ;  but 
Joseph  never  saw  the  day  when  he  did  not  feel  that  he  was 
serving  God  and  obtaining  favor  in  the  sight  of  Jesus  Christ 
by  showing  kindness  and  attention  "even  unto  the  least  of 
these." 

One  Tom  Sharp,  editor  of  the  Warsaw  Signal,  was  devot- 
ing the  greater  part  of  his  time  and  the  greater  part  of  his 
paper's  space  to  slanders  and  misrepresentations  of  the  Saints. 
The  Prophet's  comment  upon  this  man,  who  afterward  became 
a  prominent  factor  in  the  persecutions  against  the  people,  was: 
"Let  Sharp  publish  what  he  pleases;  the  faster  he  prints  his 
lies  the  sooner  he  will  get  through." 

There  were  signs  of  prosperity  for  the  Saints,  and 
although  they  were  not  yet  surrounded  by  comforts,  they 


364  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

began  to  give  freely  of  their  substance  to  rear  the  temple, 
anxiously  looking  forward  to  its  completion  as  a  thing  of 
mighty  importance  to  the  living  and  to  the  dead.  With  the 
rapid  increase  of  their  numbers,  the  politicians  of  the  state 
sought  their  favor.  The  Prophet  took  occasion,  during  the 
gubernatorial  contest  of  1842,  to  announce  that  he  would 
support  without  regard  to  their  political  predilections,  the 
men  who  were  devoted  to  humanity  and  equal  rights — the 
•cause  of  liberty  and  the  law.  And  this  was  his  text  in  every 
political  campaign  in  which  the  people  took  part. 

John  Wentworth,  proprietor  of  the  Chicago  Democrat, 
wrote  to  the  Prophet  early  in  1842,  asking  for  a  sketch  of 
the  Church  and  its  founder,  stating  that  he  desired  the  data 
for  a  Mr.  Barstow  who  was  writing  the  history  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. Joseph  very  willingly  complied  with  this  request  and 
gave  a  succinct  history  of  the  founding  of  the  Church,  its  pro- 
gress and  persecutions;  with  a  statement  of  the  faith  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints.  The  Prophet's  own  words  cannot  fail  to  be 
of  intense  interests  to  students  of  his  life;  and  as  his  account 
shows  masterly  condensation  and  completeness,  it  is  here  pre- 
sented in  full : 

"I  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sharon,  Windsor  County, 
Vermont,  on  the  23rd  of  December,  A.  D.  1805.  When  ten 
years  old  my  parents  removed  to  Palmyra,  New  York,  where 
we  resided  about  four  years,  and  from  thence  we  removed  to 
the  town  of  Manchester.  My  father  was  a  farmer  and  taught 
me  the  art  of  husbandry.  When  about  fourteen  years  of  age 
I  began  to  reflect  upon  the  importance  of  being  prepared  for 
a  future  state,  and  upon  inquiring  upon  the  plan  ot  salvation,  I 
found  that  there  was  a  great  clash  in  religious  sentiment;  if  I 
went  to  one  society  they  referred  me  to  one  plan,  and  another 
to  another;  each  one  pointing  to  his  own  particular  creed  as 
the  summum  bonum  of  perfection ;  considering  that  all  could 
not  be  right,  and  that  God  could  not  be  the  author  of  so  much 
•confusion,  I  determined  to  investigate  the  subject  more  fully, 
believing  that  if  God  had  a  church  it  would  not  be  split  up 
into  factions,  and  that  if  He  taught  one  society  to  worship  one 
way,  and  administer  in  one  set  of  ordinances,  He  would 
not  teach  another  principles  that  were  diametrically  opposed. 

"Believing  the  word  of  God,  I  had  confidence  in  the 
declaration  of  James — '  If  any  man  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  365 

of  God,  who  giveth  to  all  men  liberally  and  upbraideth  not, 
and  it  shall  be  given  him.'  I  retired  to  a  secret  place  in  a 
grove,  and  began  to  call  upon  the  Lord;  while  fervently 
engaged  in  supplication,  my  mind  was  taken  away  from  the 
objects  with  which  I  was  surrounded,  and  I  was  enwrapped 
in  a  heavenly  vision,  and  saw  two  glorious  personages,  who- 
exactly  resembled  each  other  in  features  and  likeness,  sur- 
rounded with  a  brilliant  light  which  eclipsed  the  sun  at  noon- 
day. They  told  me  that  all  the  religious  denominations  were 
believing  in  incorrect  doctrines,  and  that  none  of  them  wa& 
acknowledged  of  God  as  His  Church  and  kingdom;  and  I 
was  expressly  commanded  to  'go  not  after  them;'  at  the  same 
time  receiving  a  promise  that  the  fullness  of  the  gospel  should 
at  some  future  time  be  made  known  unto  me. 

"On  the  evening  of  the  21st  of  September,  A.  D.  1823,  while 
I  was  praying  unto  God,  and  endeavoring  to  exercise  faith  in 
the  precious  promises  of  scripture,  on  a  sudden,  a  light  like 
that  of  day,  only  of  a  far  purer  and  more  glorious  appear- 
ance and  brightness,  burst  into  the  room;  indeed  the  first 
sight  was  as  though  the  house  was  filled  with  consuming  fire. 
The  appearance  produced  a  shock  that  affected  the  whole 
body.  In  a  moment  a  personage  stood  before  me  surrounded 
with  a  glory  yet  greater  than  that  with  which  I  was  already  sur- 
rounded. This  messenger  proclaimed  himself  to  be  an  angel 
of  God,  sent  to  bring  the  joyful  tidings,  that  the  covenant 
which  God  made  with  ancient  Israel  was  at  hand  to  be  fulfilled, 
that  the  preparatory  work  for  the  second  coming  of  the 
Messiah  was  speedily  to  commence ;  that  the  time  was  at  hand 
for  the  gospel,  in  all  its  fullness,  to  be  preached  in  power 
unto  all  nations,  that  a  people  might  be  prepared  for  the 
millennial  reign. 

"I  was  informed  that  I  was  chosen  to  be  an  instrument  in 
the  hands  of  God  to  bring  about  some  of  His  purposes  in  this 
glorious  dispensation. 

"  I  was  also  informed  concerning  the  aboriginal  inhabi- 
tants of  this  country,  and  shown  who  they  were,  and  from 
whence  they  came;  a  brief  sketch  of  their  origin,  progress, 
civilization,  laws,  governments,  of  their  righteousness  and 
iniquity,  and  the  blessings  of  God  being  finally  withdrawn 
from  them  as  a  people,  was  made  known  unto  me.  I  was  also 
told  where  there  were  deposited  some  plates,  on  which  were 
engraven  an  abridgment  of  the  records  of  the  ancient 
prophets  that  had  existed  on  this  continent.  The  angel 
appeared  to  me  three  times  the  same  night,  and  unfolded  the 
same  things.  After  having  received  many  visits  from  the 


366  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

angels  of  God,  unfolding  the  majesty  and  glory  ot  the  events 
that  should  transpire  in  the  last  days,  on  the  morning  of  the 
22nd  of  September,  A.  D.  1827,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  delivered 
the  records  into  my  hands. 

u  These  records  were  engraven  on  plates  which  had  the 
appearance  of  gold.  Each  plate  was  six  inches  wide  and 
eight  long,  and  not  quite  so  thick  as  common  tin.  They  were 
filled  with  engravings,  in  Egyptian  characters,  and  bound 
together  in  a  volume  as  the  leaves  of  a  book,  with  three  rings 
running  through  the  whole.  The  volume  was  something  near 
six  inches  in  thickness,  a  part  of  which  was  sealed.  The  charac- 
ters on  the  unsealed  part  were  small  and  beautifully  engraved. 
The  whole  book  exhibited  many  marks  of  antiquity  in  its  con- 
struction, and  much  skill  in  the  art  of  engraving.  With  the 
records  was  found  a  curious  instrument,  which  the  ancients 
called  'Urim  and  Thummim,'  which  consisted  of  two  trans- 
parent stones  set  in  the  rim  of  a  bow  fastened  to  a  breastplate. 

"  Through  the  medium  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim  I 
translated  the  record,  by  the  gift  arid  power  of  God. 

"  In  this  important  and  interesting  book  the  history  ot 
ancient  America  is  unfolded,  from  its  first  settlement  by  a  col- 
ony that  came  from  the  tower  of  Babel  at  the  confusion  of 
languages,  to  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century  of  the  Chris- 
tian era.  We  are  informed  by  these  records  that  America  in 
ancient  times  had  been  inhabited  by  two  distinct  races  of  peo- 
ple. The  first  were  called  Jaredites,  and  came  directly  from 
the  tower  of  Babel.  The  second  race  came  directly  from  the 
city  of  Jerusalem,  about  six  hundred  years  before  Christ. 
They  were  principally  Israelites,  of  the  descendants  of  Joseph. 
The  Jaredites  were  destroyed  about  the  time  that  the  Israelites 
came  from  Jerusalem,  who  succeeded  them  in  the  inheritance 
of  the  country.  The  principal  nation  of  the  second  race  fell 
in  battle  towards  the  close  of  the  fourth  century.  The  rem- 
nant are  the  Indians  that  now  inhabit  this  country.  This 
book  also  tells  us  that  our  Savior  made  His  appearance  upon 
this  continent  after  His  resurrection,  that  He  planted  the  gos- 
pel here  in  all  its  fullness,  and  richness,  and  power,  and  bless- 
ing; that  they  had  apostles,  prophets,  pastors,  teachers  and 
evangelists;  the  same  order,  the  same  Priesthood,  the  same 
ordinances,  gifts,  powers  and  blessings  as  were  enjoyed  on  the 
eastern  continent ;  that  the  people  were  cut  off  in  consequence 
of  their  transgressions;  that  the  last  of  their  prophets  who 
existed  among  them  was  commanded  to  write  an  abridgment 
of  their  prophecies,  history,  etc.,  and  to  hide  it  up  in  the  earth, 
and  that  it  should  come  forth  and  be  united  with  the  Bible  for 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  367 

the  accomplishment  of  the  purposes  of  God  in  the  last  days. 
For  a  more  particular  account  I  would  refer  to  the  Book  of 
Mormon. 

"As  soon  as  the  news  of  this  discovery  was  made  known, 
false  reports,  misrepresentations  and  slander  flew,  as  on  the 
wings  of  the  wind,  in  every  direction;  the  house  was  fre- 
quently beset  by  mobs,  and  evil  designing  persons.  Several 
times  I  was  shot  at,  and  very  narrowly  escaped,  and  every 
device  was  made  use  of  to  get  the  plates  away  from  me,  but 
the  power  and  blessing  of  God  attended  me,  and  several  began 
to  believe  my  testimony. 

"  On  the  6th  of  April,  1830,  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  was  organized  in  the  town  of  Fayette, 
Seneca  County,  state  of  New  York.  Some  few  were  called 
and  ordained  by  the  spirit  of  revelation  and  prophecy,  and 
began  to  preach  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance,  and,  though 
weak,  they  were  strengthened  by  the  power  of  God,  and  many 
were  brought  to  repentance,  were  immersed  in  the  water,  and 
were  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  hands. 
They  saw  visions  and  prophesied,  devils  were  cast  out,  and  the 
sick  healed  by  the  laying  on  of  hands.  From  that  time  the 
work  rolled  forth  with  astonishing  rapidity,  and  churches  were 
soon  formed  in  the  states  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri;  in  the  last  named  state  a  con- 
siderable settlement  was  formed  in  Jackson  County ;  numbers 
joined  the  Church  and  we  were  increasing  rapidly ;  we  made 
large  purchases  of  land,  our  farms  teemed  with  plenty,  and 
peace  and  happiness  were  enjoyed  in  our  domestic  circles  and 
throughout  our  neighborhoods;  but  as  we  could  not  associate 
with  our  neighbors — who  were,  many  of  them,  the  basest  of 
men,  and  had  fled  from  the  face  of  civilized  society  to  the 
frontier  country  to  escape  the  hand  of  justice — in  their  mid- 
night revels,  in  their  Sabbath  breaking,  horse  racing  and  gam- 
bling, they  commenced  at  first  to  ridicule,  then  to  persecute, 
and,  finally,  an  organized  mob  assembled  and  burned  our 
houses,  tarred  and  feathered,  and  whipped  many  of  our  breth- 
ren, and  finally  drove  them  from  their  habitations,  who,  house- 
less and  homeless,  contrary  to  law,  justice  and  humanity,  had 
to  wander  on  the  bleak  prairies  till  the  children  left  the  tracks 
of  their  blood  on  the  prairie.  This  took  place  in  the  month  of 
November,  and  they  had  no  other  covering  but  the  canopy  of 
heaven,  in  this  inclement  season  of  the  year;  this  proceeding  was 
winked  at  by  the  government,  and  although  we  had  warrantee 
deeds  for  our  land,  and  had  violated  no  law,  we  could  obtain 
no  redress. 


368  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

"There  were  many  sick,  who  were  thus  inhumanly 
driven  from  their  houses,  and  had  to  endure  all  this  abuse,  and 
to  seek  homes  where  they  could  be  found.  The  result  was, 
that  a  great  many  of  them,  being  deprived  of  the  comforts  of 
life,  and  the  necessary  attendance,  died;  many  children  were 
left  orphans;  wives,  widows ;  and  husbands  widowers.  Our 
farms  were  taken  possession  of  by  the  mob,  many  thousands 
of  cattle,  sheep,  horses  and  hogs  were  taken,  and  our  house- 
hold goods,  store  goods,  and  printing  press  and  type  were 
broken,  taken  or  otherwise  destroyed. 

"Many  of  our  brethren  removed  to  Clay,  where  they  con- 
tinued until  in  1836,  three  years;  there  was  no  violence  offered, 
but  there  were  threatenings  of  violence.  But  in  the  summer 
of  1836,  these  threatenings  began  to  assume  a  more  serious 
form;  from  threats,  public  meetings  were  called,  resolutions 
were  passed,  vengeance  and  destruction  were  threatened,  and 
affaire  again  assumed  a  fearful  attitude.  Jackson  County  was 
a  sufficient  precedent,  and  as  the  authorities  in  that  county  did 
not  interfere,  they  boasted  that  they  would  not  in  this,  which, 
on  application  to  the  authorities,  we  found  to  be  too  true,  and 
after  much  violence,  privation  and  loss  of  property,  we  were 
again  driven  from  our  homes. 

"  We  next  settled  in  Caldwell  and  Daviess  Counties, 
where  we  made  large  and  extensive  settlements,  thinking  to 
free  ourselves  from  the  power  of  oppression  by  settling  in  new 
counties,  with  very  few  inhabitants  in  them,  but  here  we  were 
not  allowed  to  live  in  peace,  for  in  1838  we  were  again 
attacked  by  mobs;  an  exterminating  order  was  issued  by 
Governor  Boggs,  and  under  the  sanction  of  law,  an  organized 
banditti  ranged  through  the  country,  robbed  us  of  our  cattle, 
sheep,  horses,  hogs,  etc.  Many  of  our  people  were  murdered 
in  cold  blood,  the  chastity  of  our  women  was  violated,  and  we 
were  forced  to  sign  away  our  property  at  the  point  of  the 
sword;  and  after  enduring  every  indignity  that  could  be 
heaped  upon  us  by  an  inhuman,  ungodly  band  of  marauders, 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  souls,  men,  women  and 
children  were  driven  from  their  own  firesides,  and  from  lands 
that  they  had  warrantee  deeds  of,  houseless,  friendless,  and 
homeless  (in  the  depth  of  winter),  to  wander  as  exiles  on  the 
earth,  or  to  seek  an  asylum  in  a  more  genial  clime  and  among  a 
less  barbarous  people. 

"  Many  sickened  and  died  in  consequence  of  the  cold  and 
hardships  they  had  to  endure;  many  wives  were  left  widows, 
and  children  orphans,  and  destitute.  It  would  take  more  time 
than  is  allotted  me  here  to  describe  the  injustice,  the  wrongs, 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  369 

the  murders,  the  bloodshed,  the  theft,  misery  and  woe  that  has 
been  caused  by  the  barbarous,  inhuman  and  lawless  proceed- 
ings of  the  state  of  Missouri. 

"  In  the  situation  before  alluded  to,  we  arrived  in  the  state 
of  Illinois  in  1839,  where  we  found  a  hospitable  people  and  a 
friendly  home;  a  people  who  were  willing  to  be  governed  by 
the  principles  of  law  and  humanity.  We  have  commenced  to 
build  a  city  called  "Nauvoo,"  in  Hancock  County.  We  num- 
ber from  six  to  eight  thousand  here,  besides  vast  numbers  in 
the  county  around,  and  in  almost  every  county  of  the  state. 
We  have  a  city  charter  granted  us,  and  a  charter  for  a  legion, 
the  troops  of  which  now  number  1,500.  We  have  also  a  char- 
ter for  a  university,  for  an  agricultural  and  manufacturing 
society,  have  our  own  laws  and  administrators,  and  possess  all 
the  privileges  that  other  free  and  enlightened  citizens  enjoy. 

"Persecution  has  not  stopped  the  progress  of  truth,  but 
has  only  added  fuel  to  the  flame,  it  has  spread  with  increasing 
rapidity;  proud  of  the  cause  which  they  have  espoused,  and 
conscious  of  their  innocence,  and  of  the  truth  of  their  system, 
amidst  calumny  and  reproach,  have  the  Elders  of  this  Church 
gone  forth,  and  planted  the  gospel  in  almost  every  state  in  the 
Union ;  it  has  penetrated  our  cities,  it  has  spread  over  our 
villages,  and  has  caused  thousands  of  our  intelligent,  noble 
and  patriotic  citizens  to  obey  its  divine  mandates,  and  be 
governed  by  its  sacred  truths.  It  has  also  spread  into  England, 
Ireland,  Scotland  and  Wales;  in  the  year  1840,  where  a  few 
of  our  missionaries  were  sent,  over  five  thousand  joined  the 
Standard  of  Truth;  there  are  numbers  now  joining  in  every  land. 

"  Our  missionaries  are  going  forth  to  different  nations, 
and  in  Germany,  Palestine,  New  Holland,  the  East  Indies  and 
other  places,  the  Standard  of  Truth  has  been  erected;  no 
unhallowed  hand  can  stop  the  work  from  progressing,  perse- 
cutions may  rage,  mobs  may  combine,  armies  may  assemble, 
calumny  may  defame,  but  the  truth  of  God  will  go  forth 
boldly,  nobly  and  independent,  till  it  has  penetrated  every 
continent,  visited  every  clime,  swept  every  country,  and 
sounded  in  every  ear,  till  the  purposes  of  God  shall  be  accom- 
plished, and  the  great  Jehovah  shall  say  the  work  is  done. 

"  We  believe  in  God  the  Eternal  Father,  and  in  His  Son 
Jesus  Christ,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  We  believe  that  men  will  be  punished  for  their  own  sins, 
and  not  for  Adam's  transgression. 

"We  believe  that  through  the  atonement  of  Christ  all 
mankind  may  be  saved  by  obedience  to  the  laws  and  ordi- 
nances of  the  gospel. 

24 


370  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

"  We  believe  that  these  ordinances  are  1st :  Faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ;  2nd:  Repentance;  3rd;  Baptism  by 
immersion  for  the  remission  of  sins;  4th  :  Laying  on  of  hands 
for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"We  believe  that  a  man  must  be  called  of  God  by 
1  prophecy  and  by  laying  on  of  hands'  by  those  who  are  in 
authority,  to  preach  the  gospel  and  administer  in  the  ordi- 
nances thereof. 

"We  believe  in  the  same  organization  that  existed  in  the 
primitive  church,  namely,  Apostles,  Prophets,  Pastors, 
Teachers,  Evangelists,  etc. 

"We  believe  in  the  gift  of  tongues,  prophecy,  revelations, 
visions,  healing,  interpretations  of  tongues,  etc. 

"  We  believe  the  Bible  to  be  the  word  of  God  as  far  as  it 
is  translated  correctly;  we  also  believe  the  Book  of  Mormon  to 
be  the  word  of  God. 

"  We  believe  all  that  God  has  revealed,  all  that  He  does 
now  reveal,  and  we  believe  that  He  will  yet  reveal  many  great 
and  important  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God. 

"We  believe  in  the  literal  gathering  of  Israel  and  in  the 
restoration  of  the  Ten  Tribes;  that  Zion  will  be  built  upon 
this  continent;  that  Christ  will  reign  personally  upon  the 
earth,  and  that  the  earth  will  be  renewed  and  receive  its 
paradisiacal  glory. 

"We  claim  the  privilege  of  worshiping  Almighty  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  our  own  conscience,  and  allow 
all  men  the  same  privilege,  let  them  worship  how,  where  or 
what  they  may. 

"We  believe  in  being  subject  to  kings,  presidents,  rulers 
and  magistrates,  in  obeying,  honoring  and  sustaining  the  law. 

"  We  believe  in  being  honest,  true,  chaste,  benevolent, 
virtuous,  and  in  doing  good  to  all  men;  indeed  we  may  say 
that  we  follow  the  admonition  of  Paul  '  we  believe  all  things, 
we  hope  all  things,'  we  have  endured  many  things,  and  hope 
to  be  able  to  endure  all  things.  If  there  is  anything  virtuous, 
lovely  or  of  good  report,  or  praiseworthy,  we  seek  after  these 
things.  "Respectfully,  etc., 

"JOSEPH  SMITH." 

In  February  of  1842,  Joseph  became  the  editor  of  the 
Times  and  Seasons,  assisted  by  Apostle  John  Taylor.  The 
Prophet  continued  to  carry  this  responsibility  for  nearly  a  year 
when  a  press  of  other  business,  combined  with  the  persecution 
of  his  enemies,  compelled  him  to  relinquish  the  task  into  the 
hands  of  his  assistant,  Elder  Taylor,  who  was  then  formally 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  371 

announced  as  the  editor.  During  1842,  Joseph  gave  many 
instructions  of  precious  truth  through  that  periodical  to  the 
Saints,  and  published,  with  engravings  made  by  Elder  Reuben 
Hedlock,  his  translation  of  the  Book  of  Abraham. 

In  the  issue  of  the  Times  and  Seasons  for  March  1st,  1842, 
appears  the  Prophet's  first  editorial  article.  It  is  significant 
and  strong: 

"HONOR  AMONG  THIEVES.' 

"  We  extract  the  following  from  the  New  York  Tribune : 

" '  The  paymaster  of  the  Missouri  militia,  called  out  to 
put  down  the  Mormons  some  two  years  since,  was  supplied 
with  money  some  time  since  and  started  for  western  Mis- 
souri, but  has  not  yet  arrived  there.  It  is  feared  that  he  has 
taken  the  saline  slope.' 

"  We  are  not  surprised  that  persons  who  could  wantonly, 
barbarously  and  without  the  shadow  of  law,  drive  fifteen  thou- 
sand men,  women  and  children  from  their  homes,  should  have 
among  them  a  man  who  was  so  lost  to  every  sense  of  justice,  as 
to  run  away  with  the  wages  for  this  infamous  deed :  it  is  not 
very  difficult  for  men  who  can  blow  out  the  brains  of  children; 
who  can  shoot  down  and  hew  to  pieces  our  ancient  veterans 
that  fought  in  the  defence  of  our  country  and  delivered  it 
from  the  oppressor's  grasp;  who  could  deliberately,  and  in 
cold  blood,  murder  men,  and  rob  them  of  their  boots,  watches, 
etc.,  and  whilst  they  were  yet  weltering  in  their  blood  and 
grappling  with  death,  and  then  proceed  to  rob  their  widowed 
houses.  Men  who  can  deliberately  do  this,  and  steal  nearly 
all  the  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  hogs  and  property  of  a  whole 
community,  and  drive  them  from  their  homes  en  masse,  in  an 
inclement  season  of  the  year,  will  not  find  many  qualms  of 
conscience  in  stealing  the  pay  of  his  brother  thieves,  and  tak- 
ing the  'saline  slope.' 

"The  very  idea  of  government  paying  these  men  for  their 
bloody  deeds,  must  cause  the  sons  of  liberty  to  blush,  and  to 
hang  their  harps  upon  the  willow;  and  make  the  blood  of 
every  patriot  run  chill.  The  proceedings  oi  that  state  have 
been  so  barbarous  and  inhuman  that  our  indignation  is 
aroused  when  we  reflect  upon  the  scene. 

"  We  are  here  reminded  of  one  of  the  patriotic  deeds  of 
the  government  of  that  state,  which,  after  it  had  robbed  us  of 
everything  we  had  in  the  world,  and  taken  from  us  many 
hundred  thousand  dollars  worth  of  property,  had  its  sympa- 


372  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

thies  so  far  touched  (alias,  its  good  name,)  that  it  voted  two 
thousand  dollars  for  the  relief  of  the  'suffering  Mormons/ 
and  choosing  two  or  three  of  the  state's  noblest  sons  to  carry 
the  heavenly  boon,  these  angels  of  salvation  came  in  the  plen- 
itude of  their  mercy,  and  in  the  dignity  of  their  office,  to  Far 
West.  To  do  what?  to  feed  their  hungry,  and  clothe  their 
naked  with  the  $2,000  ?  Yerily  nay  !  but  to  go  into  Daviess 
County  and  steal  the  Mormons'  hogs  (which  they,  [the  Mor- 
mons] themselves,  were  prohibited  from  obtaining,  under 
penalty  of  death)  to  distribute  among  the  destitute,  and  to  sell 
where  they  could  obtain  the  money.  These  hogs,  thus 
obtained,  were  shot  down  in  their  blood,  and  not  otherwise 
bled;  they  were  filthy  to  a  degree.  These,  the  Mormons'  own 
hogs,  and  a  very  few  goods,  the  sweepings  of  an  old  store  in 
Liberty,  were  what  these  patriotic  and  noble-minded  men 
gave  to  the  'poor  Mormons,'  and  then  circulated  to  the  world 
how  sympathetic,  benevolent,  kind  and  merciful  the  legisla- 
ture of  the  state  of  Missouri  was  in  giving  two  thousand  dol- 
lars to  the  'suffering  Mormons.'  Surely  'the  tender  mercies 
of  the  wicked  are  cruel.' ': 

The  organization  of  the  Female  Relief  Society  at  Nauvoo 
began  under  the  Prophet's  direction  on  the  17th  of  March, 
1842,  and  was  completed  on  the  24th  day  of  that  month.  The 
purpose  of  the  society  was  to  comfort  the  poor  and  relieve  the 
destitute  and  sustain  the  widow  and  the  orphan.  The  sisters 
among  the  Saints  had  always  been  signalized  for  their  acts  of 
kindness;  but  the  cruel  usage  they  had  received  in  Missouri 
had  prevented  their  extending  the  hand  of  charity  as  they 
desired.  Yet  even  in  the  midst  of  their  persecution,  when 
the  bread  was  torn  from  the  mouths  of  their  offspring  by  the 
oppressors,  they  had  always  been  willing  to  open  their  doors 
to  the  weary  travelers  and  to  divide  their  pittance  with  the 
stranger.  With  the  growing  prosperity  of  the  Church,  the 
Prophet  felt  sure  that  the  sisters  would  concentrate  their  efforts 
to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  suffering  stranger,  to  pour 
oil  and  wine  into  the  wounded  heart  of  the  distressed,  to  dry 
up  the  tears  of  the  orphan,  and  make  the  widow's  heart  to 
rejoice. 

On  the  20th  day  of  March,  1842,  after  a  sermon  in  the 
grove  near  the  temple,  the  Prophet  went  down  to  the  river 
and  baptized  eighty  persons  for  the  remission  of  their  sins. 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  373 

Fifty  of  this  number  received  their  confirmation  under  his 
hands  later  in  the  day.  One  week  afterward  he  baptized  one 
hundred  and  seven  people  in  the  Mississippi. 

At  the  conference  of  the  Church  held  at  the  city  of  Nau- 
voo  on  the  6th  day  of  April,  1842,  the  twelfth  anniversary  of 
its  organization,  Apostle  Page  made  explanation  of  the  delays 
through  which  he  failed  to  accompany  Elder  Orson  Hyde  to 
Jerusalem. 

The  Prophet  decided  that  Elder  Page  should  be  restored 
to  his  fellowship ;  he  took  the  occasion  to  instruct  the  Elders 
that  when  they  went  forth  as  companions  they  were  to  adhere 
to  each  other  as  Elisha  and  Elijah  of  old. 

During  this  conference  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  Eld- 
ers were  ordained  under  the  hands  of  the  Apostles. 

On  Saturday  the  9th  day  of  April,  1842,  the  Prophet 
attended  the  funeral  of  Ephraim  Marks,  a  son  of  William 
Marks,  president  of  the  Nauvoo  Stake.  President  Wilford 
Woodruff's  journal  of  that  date  records  that  Joseph  addressed 
the  funeral  assemblage,  and  in  the  course  of  his  remarks  said : 

"  Some  of  the  Saints  have  supposed  that  'Brother  Joseph' 
could  not  die ;  but  this  is  a  mistake.  It  is  true  that  there  have 
been  times  when  I  have  had  the  promise  of  my  life  to  accom- 
plish certain  things;  but,  having  now  done  these  things,  I 
have  no  longer  any  lease  of  my  life.  I  am  as  liable  to  die  as 
other  men." 

This  sermon  is  like  a  premonition  of  his  own  fate.  At 
the  time  it  was  uttered  his  surroundings  had  never  been  so 
propitious  since  the  day  when  he  first  received  the  plates  from 
the  hill  Cumorah.  But  soon  after  he  made  this  declaration, 
his  enemies  began  again  to  pursue  him  vindictively,  and  they 
continued  until  his  death  a  little  more  than  two  years  after  he 
delivered  that  sermon. 

In  the  spring  of  1842,  the  Nauvoo  Legion  of  the  Illinois 
state  militia  consisted  of  twenty-six  companies,  comprising 
about  two  thousand  troops.  On  the  7th  day  of  May  the  staff 
of  the  Legion  dined  at  the  house  of  the  commander-in-chief. 
Other  guests  were  there,  including  Judge  Stephen  A  Douglas, 
who  had  adjourned  the  circuit  court,  then  in  session  at  Garth- 


374  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

age,  that  he  and  the  lawyers  might  visit  Nauvoo  and  witness 
the  parade  of  the  Legion.  A  sham  battle  between  the  two 
cohorts  under  Brigadier-Generals  Wilson  Law  and  Charles  C. 
Rich  was  a  feature  of  the  day.  The  battle  and  the  parade 
were  brilliant;  and  the  visitors  expressed  their  admiration  of 
the  energy  and  the  patriotism  of  the  Prophet  and  his  brethren 
who  had  organized  and  trained  this  large  body  of  loyal  troops 
to  be  in  readiness  for  their  country's  call. 

It  was  during  the  sham  battle  of  this  day  that  the  Prophet 
became  assured  that  John  C.  Bennett  was  a  wicked  man — 
impure  and  traitorous.  The  proper  place  for  the  Lieutenant- 
General  commanding,  was  upon  an  eminence  where,  sur- 
rounded by  his  staff  and  the  ladies  and  distinguished  visitors, 
he  could  review  the  contest  between  his  cohorts.  But  Ben- 
nett made  several  endeavors  to  draw  Joseph  down  into  the 
battle;  failing  in  that,  to  get  him  separated  from  his  staff  and 
party  and  in  the  rear  of  one  of  his  forces.  Joseph  might 
have  yielded  to  some  of  these  requests  but  the  spirit  whispered 
him  that  treachery  was  meditated.  A  little  later  the  purpose 
of  Bennett  was  made  manifest.  He  had  intended  to  get  Jos- 
eph into  such  a  position  that  he  could  be  killed  by  a  shot  and 
no  one  be  able  to  identify  the  assassin.  Bennett  no  doubt  had 
accomplices  in  this  plot,  and  his  plans  were  shrewdly  laid;  but 
this  was  not  the  hour  nor  this  the  method  for  the  Prophet's 
death. 

In  recording  the  events  of  this  day  in  his  journal,  Joseph 
develops  Bennett's  treachery  and  predicts  that  the  wicked 
doings  of  the  traitor  will  soon  be  made  manifest  before  the 
world.  The  prophecy  was  fulfilled. 


CHAPTER    LIT. 

BENNETT'S  IMPURITIES — HIS  COWARDLY  STAB  AT  THE  PROPHET'S 
NAME  AND  LIFE — FELLOWSHIP  WITHDRAWN  FROM  THE  EVIL- 
DOER— QUOTING  HIS  OWN  LETTERS  TO  INJURE  THE  SAINTS — 
ATTEMPT  TO  KILL  BOGGS — ABSURD  CHARGES  AGAINST  "  THE 
MORMONS" — JOSEPH'S  HORSE,  "JOE  DUNCAN" — A  PROPHECY. 

INSIDIOUS  as  was  the  attempt  of  Bennett  upon  the  Prophet's 
life  during  the  sham  battle  of  the  Legion  on  the  7th  of  May, 
1842,  it  was  not  so  cowardly  as  the  stab  which  Bennett  sought 
to  inflict  very  soon  after  that.  The  first  blow  aimed  solely  at 
the  Prophet's  life ;  the  second  intended  to  slay  his  reputation 
and  then  to  have  him  killed  with  a  dishonorable  stain  upon 
his  name.  Bennett  was  lustful  in  his  nature,  though  he  had 
brought  that  disposition  into  subjection,  or  at  least  conceal- 
ment, for  a  little  time  after  his  arrival  at  Nauvoo.  But  he 
soon  gave  way  to  the  whisper  of  the  tempter.  And  to  make 
his  purpose  successful,  and  to  encloak  himself  with  protection, 
he  taught  secretly  to  men  and  women  that  the  Prophet  coun- 
tenanced sin  between  the  sexes.  Bennett's  prominence,  and 
the  intimacy  that  he  represented  as  existing  between  the 
Prophet  and  himself,  deceived  a  few,  and  he  found  some  fol- 
lowers in  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  Men  and  women  professing  to 
accept  his  teachings  as  having  emanated  from  the  Prophet, 
gave  themselves  up  to  profligacy.  They  excused  themselves 
to  their  own  souls  and  their  fellow-beings  by  the  pretence  that 
the  Prophet  of  God  justified  these  immoralities.  Bennett's 
converts  were  few;  and  these  were  only  among  the  ignorant 
or  the  depraved,  for  every  one  who  was  himself  pure  in  soul 
and  blessed  with  reasonable  intelligence  knew  that  nothing 
was  more  abhorrent  to  the  Prophet  than  sexual  impurity. 
Joseph's  teachings  upon  this  point  were  emphatic  and  frequent. 
He  regarded  and  taught  that  virtue  in  man  or  woman  was 
dearer  than  life,  and  that  adultery  was  a  sin  second  only  to  the 
shedding  of  innocent  blood. 


376  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

But  Bennett  worked  secretly  and  prevailed  over  several 
women  to  yield  to  his  desires,  and  induced  a  few  men  to 
engage  in  his  awful  course,  securing  concealment  by  the  most 
adroit  and  outrageous  falsehoods. 

Among  the  persons  addressed  by  Bennett  were  some 
pure  minded  brethren  and  sisters,  who  knew  in  an  instant 
that  his  teachings  were  corrupt,  and  knew  by  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  that  the  Prophet  was  no  party  to  such  an  atrocious 
crime. 

Bennett's  sins  were  not  long  hidden  from  Joseph's  knowl- 
edge. The  Prophet  acted  promptly  as  was  his  wont.  He 
charged  the  sins  of  falsehood  and  seduction  upon  Bennett, 
and  the  latter  was  forced  to  confess.  He  humbled  himself 
and  with  many  tears  begged  for  pardon.  Of  his  own  volition 
he  went  before  Alderman  Daniel  H.  Wells  and  made  oath 
that  Joseph  Smith  had  never  taught  him  "anything  contrary 
to  the  strictest  principles  of  the  gospel,  or  of  virtue,  or  of  the 
•laws  of  God  or  man,  under  any  circumstance,  or  upon  any 
occasion,  either  directly  or  indirectly  in  word  or  in  deed." 
These  sentiments  he  reiterated  in  public  assemblages,  declar- 
ing that  so  far  as  he  knew  and  believed,  Joseph's  life  was 
unspotted  by  one  act  or  word  of  immorality.  On  the  17th  of 
May  he  resigned  the  office  of  mayor,  being  terrified  by  the 
indignation  of  insulted  men  and  abused  women.  The  council 
accepted  his  resignation  and  appointed  Joseph  to  fill  the 
vacancy. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  notice  was  given  to  John  C.  Bennett 
that  his  fellowship  had  been  withdrawn  from  him  and  that  notice 
must  be  given  through  the  press  to  warn  the  public  against 
his  evil  doings.  Weeping,  he  fell  upon  his  knees  acknowl- 
edged his  licentious  conduct  toward  women  in  Nauvoo,  con- 
fessed that  he  was  worthy  of  the  severest  chastisement;  but 
supplicated  the  brethren  to  spare  him  for  his  poor  old 
mother's  sake,  promising  that  he  would  sin  no  more  and  would 
endeavor  to  atone  for  his  wrong-doing.  Joseph,  who  had 
been  deeply  injured,  was  the  one  to  plead  for  mercy  for. 
Bennett,  and  at  his  especial  solicitation  the  public  notice  was 
temporarily  withdrawn.  But  the  tears  were  hypocritical,  for 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  377 

Bennett  renewed  his  machinations;  and  it  became  necessary 
to  warn  all  people  against  him. as  a  dangerous  man,  a  liar  and 
a  seducer.  Some  of  the  persons  who  had  lent  a  willing  ear  to 
his  corrupt  counsels  were  also  excommunicated.  Evil  reports 
soon  began  to  come  in  from  other  places  concerning  Bennett, 
and  it  was  discovered  that  he  had  pursued  on  former  occasions 
the  same  sinful  line  of  conduct  which  caused  his  fall  at 
Nauvoo. 

In  June  Bennett  withdrew  from  Nauvoo  and  circulated 
lying  publications  against  the  truth  and  the  Prophet,  and 
endeavored  to  incite  a  mob  to  march  up  against  Nauvoo. 
The  hideous  character  of  this  man  is  fully  shown  by  one  cir- 
cumstance: Shortly  after  the  Saints  settled  in  Nauvoo  he 
began  to  publish  a  series  of  letters  over  the  nom  de  plume,  of 
"Joab,  General  in  Israel"  in  which  he  recounted  many  of  the 
atrocities  of  the  Missouri  persecutions.  His  articles  breathed 
a  spirit  of  resentment  against  the  mobocrats  and  their  official 
supporters,  but  these  views  belonged  to  Bennett  personally  and' 
were  not  shared  by  anyone  else.  When  he  fled  from  Nauvoo 
after  the  exposure  of  his  evil  deeds,  he  called  attention  through 
the  public  prints  to  the  sanguinary  utterances  of  his  own 
letters,  attributing  them  to  the  Saints  and  attempting  by  their 
sentiments  to  show  that  Joseph  and  his  people  were  disposed 
to  violence.  Such  an  act  of  duplicity  is  almost  unparalleled. 

Bennett  published  a  book  filled  with  dark  falsehoods 
about  the  Prophet  and  the  Saints.  It  created  a  momentary 
excitement;  but  its  author  was  despised  by  everybody  and 
soon  sank  into  obscurity  and  distress.  He  lived  some  years  in 
agony,  being  wrecked  in  mind  and  body  and  died  in  poverty 
and  distress. 

On  the  6th  day  of  May,  1842,  ex- Governor  Lilburn  "W. 
Boggs  was  shot  and  dangerously  wounded  in  his  house  at 
Independence,  Jackson  County,  Missouri.  His  little  boy  had 
found  him  lying  near  an  open  window,  weltering  in  blood, 
with  three  buckshot  in  his  head.  Outside  of  the  window  were 
footprints  and  a  smoking  pistol.  The  case  was  clearly  one  of 
attempted  assassination.  At  first  no  hope  was  entertained 
that  Boggs  would  recover;  but  he  subsequently  took  a  favor- 


378  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

able  turn  and  his  life  was  saved.  A  rumor  at  once  went 
forth  charging  the  affair  upon  the  "  Mormons,"  although  there 
was  not  the  slightest  circumstance  to  connect  them  with  the 
deed.  Boggs  had  plenty  of  enemies  of  a  desperate  character; 
he  had  shown  the  utmost  disregard  for  law,  and  had  glutted 
his  vengeful  spirit  by  murder  and  incitement  to  murder. 
What  more  natural  than  that  he  who  invoked  massacre  should 
fall  by  the  hand  of  a  ruffian  taught  by  the  example  of  Boggs 
himself  to  hold  human  life  in  light  esteem !  At  first  the 
charge  against  the  Saints  was  a  general  one.  It  was  safer  to 
say  that  "  the  Mormons  did  it,"  than  to  designate  the  particu- 
lar hand  which  fired  the  shot. 

It  was  stated  that  the  Prophet  had  predicted  a  violent 
death  for  Boggs;  and  this  rumor  was  circulated  by  his  ene- 
mies to  confirm  suspicion  against  the  Saints.  But  he  promptly 
denied  having  expressed  any  such  idea. 

While  this  falsehood  was  being  spread  through  that 
region,  John  C.  Bennett  and  David  and  Edward  Kilbourn 
conspired  to  kidnap  Joseph  and  get  him  into  Missouri.  All 
the  evil  forces  and  powers  of  persecution  united  themselves  at 
this  hour. 

Under  the  Prophet's  direction,  Governor  Reynolds  of 
Missouri  and  Governor  Carlin  of  Illinois  were  informed  of  the 
efforts  which  were  being  made  in  both  states  to  precipitate 
mobocratic  attacks  upon  the  Saints;  Joseph  being  determined 
that  the  officials  should  not  permit  this  movement  to  gain 
head  except  by  their  willful  acquiescence  or  neglect. 

About  the  1st  of  July,  1842,  the  first  "  Anti-Mormon " 
political  convention  was  held  in  Hancock  County,  Illinois.  Its 
resolutions  read  like  a  page  out  of  recent  Utah  history.  The 
complete  set  of  candidates  were  pledged  to  a  man  to  receive 
no  support  from  and  to  yield  no  quarter  to  the  "  Mormons;  " 
and  then  the  ticket  was  commended  to  the  suffrage  of  all  the  citi- 
zens of  Hancock  County.  The  Prophet  punctured  the  bubble 
by  a  vigorous  exposure  of  the  hypocrisy,  intolerance  and  stu- 
pidity of  such  a  campaign. 

On  Sunday,  the  3rd  day  of  July,  eight  thousand  people 
assembled  in  the  grove  to  hear  the  Prophet  and  his  brother 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  379 

Hyrum  preach.  Joseph  addressed  the  vast  assemblage  in  the 
morning  and  Hyrum  in  the  afternoon. 

In  the  Prophet's  journal,  under  date  of  July  llth,  1842, 
he  records  the  fact  that  he  bought  a  horse  of  Harmon  T.  Wil- 
son, which  he  afterwards  named  Joe  Duncan.  This  was  the 
famous  and  beautiful  steed  which  Lieutenant-General  Smith 
afterwards  rode  at  the  head  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion.  The 
Prophet  had  a  great  fondness  for  animals.  His  horse  Charley 
was  widely  known  among  the  people,  and  with  the  boys  of 
Nauvoo  he  was  a  great  favorite.  Speaking  of  the  horse 
Charley  brings  to  mind  an  occurrence  which  created  consider- 
able amusement  at  the  time.  A  boy  named  Wesley  Cowle 
was  flying  a  kite  in  one  of  the  streets  of  Nauvoo.  One  or 
two  strangers  came  up  to  him  and  asked  him  where  the 
Prophet  could  be  found.  At  that  time  officers  were  said  to  be 
coming  from  Carthage  for  the  purpose  of  serving  papers  upon 
Joseph  and  arresting  him.  "  Wes."  Cowle  did  not  know  but 
the  strangers  were  officers.  He  said  the  Prophet  was  not  in 
the  city.  He  and  Hyrum  had  gone  to  heaven  on  "old  Charley" 
and  he  was  flying  his  kite  to  send  them  their  dinner. 

On  Saturday,  the  6th  day  of  August,  1842,  while  Joseph 
was  conversing  with  several  of  his  brethren  at  Montrose, 
Iowa,  he  uttered  a  remarkable  prophecy  which,  like  every 
other  prediction  from  his  lips,  has  been  literally  fulfilled.  He 
declared  that  the  Saints  would  continue  to  suffer  much  afflic- 
tion and  would  finally  be  driven  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Many  would  apostatize;  others  would  be  put  to  death  by  their 
persecutors  or  lose  their  lives  in  consequence  of  their  exile ; 
and  many  of  those  who  listened  to  him  would  live  to  assist  in 
building  cities  and  to  see  the  Saints  become  a  mighty  people 
in  the  tops  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

That  prophecy  was  uttered  publicly  and  was  placed  on 
record  at  the  time. 


CHAPTER    LIIL 

THE  PROPHET  CHARGED  WITH  BEING  AN  ACCESSORY  TO  THE 
ATTEMPTED  ASSASSINATION  OF  BOGGS ORRIN  PORTER  ROCK- 
WELL ACCUSED  OP  THE  CRIME THE  GOVERNOR'S  REQUISITION 

— THE  ARREST THE  PROPHET'S  DESIRE  FOR  PEACE — WILSON 

LAW'S  BRAVE  WORDS — EMMA  SMITH'S  NOBLE  APPEAL  TO  THE 
GOVERNOR  —  CARLIN'S  FALSE  REPLY — AMASA  M.  LYMAN 
ORDAINED  AN  APOSTLE THREE  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHTY  FAITH- 
FUL VOLUNTEERS. 

INDEPENDENCE  was  hundreds  ot  miles  from  Nauvoo.  The  vast 
stretch  of  country  lying  between  the  two  cities  was  inhabited 
by  a  people  who  had  sworn  death  to  any  "Mormon"  daring 
to  set  foot  on  Missouri  soil.  The  county  of  Jackson  was  the 
place  from  which  the  Saints  had  first  been  driven  in  the  state, 
with  the  loss  of  all  their  possessions;  and  from  which  the 
Prophet  and  his  companions,  in  1839,  had  barely  escaped  with 
their  lives.  On  the  day  when  Lilburn  "W.  Boggs  was  shot  at 
Independence,  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  Joseph  Smith 
attended  the  officers'  drill  at  Nauvoo.  The  day  before  the 
attempt  on  Boggs'  life  General  Adams  of  Springfield  had 
been  with  the  Prophet;  the  day  following  the  attempt,  Judge 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  many  lawyers  of  his  court,  with 
twelve  thousand  other  people,  saw  Joseph  Smith  reviewing 
the  Legion  at  Nauvoo. 

And  yet  Lilburn  W.  Boggs  went  before  a  justice  of  the 
peace  for  Jackson  County,  one  Samuel  "Weston,  and  swore  to 
a  complaint  charging  Joseph  Smith  with  "  being  an  accessory 
before  the  fact,  to  an  assault  with  intent  to  kill  made  by  one 
Orrin  P.  Rockwell  on  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  on  the  night  of  the 
6th  of  May,  1842."  This  affidavit  was  not  made  until  the 
latter  part  of  July;  and,  during  the  interval,  Boggs  and  his 
friends  had  ample  time  to  ascertain  that  no  "  Mormon"  could 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  381 

possibly  have  been  connected  with  the  assault — even  if  they 
had  not  been  able  to  secure  the  actual  assassin.  They  had 
investigated  the  subject,  for  their  kidnappers  were  constantly 
hovering  around  the  Prophet's  person.  If  they  could  have 
secured  him  by  force,  Boggs  would  not  have  committed  this 
perjury.  But  they  must  get  him  at  all  hazards.  It  would  not 
do  to  charge  him  as  principal  in  the  commission  of  the  deed 
because  hundreds  of  prominent  men  in  the  state  of  Illinois 
could  have  testified  to  an  alibi.  They  must  select  some  person 
comparatively  obscure,  upon  whom  to  charge  the  deed  itself. 
As  this  victim  they  chose  Orrin  Porter  Rockwell,  although  he 
had  spent  the  spring  and  summer  of  1842  in  Illinois;  and  they 
charged  the  Prophet  as  being  accessory,  without  taking  the 
pains  to  trace  any  connection  between  Rockwell  and  the  deedr 
or  between  the  Prophet  and  Rockwell; 

Boggs,  having  been  governor  of  Missouri,  found  it  easy 
to  secure  a  requisition  from  Governor  Reynolds  for  the  per- 
sons of  Joseph  Smith  and  Orrin  P.  Rockwell;  and  upon  this 
manifestly  absurd  and  unconstitutional  demand,  Governor 
Carlin  issued  his  warrant  for  their  apprehension. 

On  the  8th  day  of  August,  1842,  the  deputy  sheriff  of 
Adams  County  with  two  assistants,  arrested  Joseph  Smith  and 
Orrin  P.  Rockwell,  at  Nauvoo,  by  virtue  of  the  warrant  from 
Carlin  upon  the  requisition  of  the  governor  of  Missouri. 

The  monstrous  character  of  the  charge  and  the  proceed- 
ings was  clearly  apparent,  but  neither  Joseph  nor  his  fellow- 
prisoner  made  any  attempt  to  use  force  in  the  evasion  of  the 
illegal  process.  They  succeeded,  in  getting  a  writ  of  habeas 
corpus;  but  the  officers  refused  to  comply  with  its  demand  for 
the  bodies  of  Smith  and  Rockwell  and  returned  their  original 
writ  to  Governor  Carlin  for  further  instruction.  No  doubt 
they  were  aware  of  the  character  of  the  duty  entrusted  to 
them:  They  were  to  arrest  as  fugitives  from  the  justice  of 
Missouri  men  who  had  not  been  in  that  state  during  or  since 
the  commission  of  the  crime  charged,  men  who  were  as 
palpably  innocent  of  the  offence  as  the  officers  themselves. 
Under  these  circumstances  it  is  no  cause  for  wonder  that  they 
should  have  sought  renewed  orders. 


382  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

When  the  officers  were  gone  from  Nauvoo,  Joseph  and 
Orrin  absented  themselves  pending  preparations  for  a  legal 
defence  against  this  unlawful  seizure.  The  sheriff  returned 
with  his  aides  to  Nauvoo  on  Wednesday,  the  10th  of  August. 
Failing  to  find  his  prey,  he  sought  to  terrify  Emma  and  others 
into  a  disclosure  of  the  Prophet's  whereabouts — making  vio- 
lent threats  to  be  executed  in  case  of  their  refusal.  William 
Law  contended  in  argument  with  the  officers,  pronouncing  the 
whole  proceedings  to  be  illegal  and  ridiculous.  So  closely  did 
he  press  the  point  that  the  deputy  sheriff  acknowledged  his 
own  belief  that  Joseph  was  entirely  innocent,  and  that 
Governor  Carlin's  course  was  unjustifiable  and  unconstitutional. 

Rockwell,  to  escape  from  the  Missouri  kidnappers,  took  a 
journey  to  the  eastern  states  where  he  remained  some  months. 

Joseph  left  Nauvoo  and  spent  a  little  time  at  his  Uncle 
John  Smith's  in  Zarahemla.  On  the  night  of  Thursday,  the 
llth  of  August,  he  went 'in  a  skiff  with  Brother  Erastus  H. 
Derby  to  an  island  in  the  Mississippi  between  Nauvoo  and 
Montrose,  where  they  were  met  by  Emma,  Hyrum,  William 
Law,  Newel  K.  Whitney,  George  Miller,  William  Clayton  and 
Dimick  B.  Huntington.  Joseph's  visitors  stated  to  him  the 
current  report  that  the  governor  of  Iowa  had  issued  a 
warrant  for  his  apprehension  and  that  the  sheriff  of  Lee 
County  was  expected  any  hour  to  execute  it.  The  situa- 
tion was  critical ;  and  Joseph's  immediate  removal  from  his 
Uncle  John's  seemed  necessary.  It  was  decided  that  the 
Prophet  should  proceed  to  the  house  of  Edward  Sayers  in 
Nauvoo,  and  abide  there  for  a  time.  The  next  day  William 
Walker  crossed  the  river  from  Nauvoo  into  Iowa,  riding  the 
Prophet's  well-known  horse  Joe  Duncan,  to  lead  the  gathered 
officers  and  kidnappers  away  from  the  idea  that  Joseph  was 
on  the  Nauvoo  side  of  the  river. 

On  Saturday,  the  13th,  a  letter  was  received  by  Hyrum 
from  Elder  Hollister  at  Quincy,  stating  that  Governor  Carlin 
.admitted  the  proceedings  to  be  illegal  and  declared  that  he 
would  not  pursue  them  further.  Ford,  the  agent  appointed  to 
receive  Joseph  from  the  hands  of  the  sheriff  and  carry  him  to 
Missouri,  now  announced  his  conclusion  to  take  the  first  boat 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  383 

for  home,  as  it  was  useless  to  wait  longer.  These  announce- 
ments of  Carlin  and  Ford  were  but  part  of  a  plan  to  lead  the 
Prophet  from  his  hiding-place  and  get  him  into  the  hands  of 
his  enemies.  It  was  learned  that  Ford  had  declared  his  pur- 
pose to  have  a  large  force  brought  from  Missouri,  and  already 
companies  of  marauders  were  making  search  in  Montrose, 
Nashville,  Keokuk  and  other  places  for  Joseph,  to  win  the 
reward  of  §1,300  which  was  offered  for  his  capture.  William 
Walker's  ruse  had  been  successful,  and  most  of  the  efforts 
were  directed  to  the  Iowa  side  of  the  river;  but  the  officers  of 
Illinois,  who  were  also  eager  to  gain  the  reward,  were  deter- 
mined if  possible  to  have  him  delivered  to  them  at  Nauvoo. 
They  said  they  would  stay  in  the  city  a  month  but  that  they 
would  find  him,  and  if  he  were  not  then  forthcoming,  they 
would  lay  Nauvoo  in  ashes. 

Emma  had  followed  Joseph  to  the  house  of  Edward  Say- 
ers  to  nurse  him  as  he  was  in  ill  health. 

On  the  14th  of  August  Joseph  wrote  to  Wilson  Law,  who 
had  been  elected  Major-General  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  con- 
cerning the  threats  of  Missouri  mobocrats  and  Illinois  kidnap- 
pers against  the  welfare  of  Nauvoo  and  the  liberty  of  her 
citizens.  He  said: 

"  We  will  take  every  measure  in  our  power,  and  make 
every  sacrifice  that  God  or  man  can  require  at  our  hands,  to 
preserve  the  peace  and  safety  of  the  people  without  collision. 
And  if  sacrificing  my  own  liberty  for  months  and  years  were 
necessary  I  would  bow  to  my  fate  with  cheerfulness,  and  with 
a  due  consideration  for  the  lives,  safety  and  welfare  of  others. 
But  if  this  policy  cannot  accomplish  the  desired  object,  *  * 
*  we  will  defend  ourselves  to  the  best  advantage  we  can  and 
to  the  very  last." 

The  entire  sentiment  of  this  letter  indicates  the  wish  of 
the  Prophet  for  peace  and  the  supremacy  of  the  law,  and  also 
his  courageous  intention  of  submitting  supinely  no  more  to 
mobocratic  violence — murder  and  plunder. 

The  answer  of  Wilson  Law  is  important  in  a  personal 
sense.  He  says : 

"I  do  respond  with  my  whole  heart  to  every  sentiment 
you  have  so  nobly  and  feelingly  expressed;  and  while  my 


384  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

heart  beats  or  this  hand  which  now  writes  is  able  to  draw  and 
wield  a  sword,  you  may  depend  on  its  being  at  your  service  in 
the  glorious  cause  of  liberty  and  truth,  ready  at  a  moment's 
warning  to  defend  the  rights  of  men,  both  civil  and  religious." 

Brave  words  these ;  but  they  were  not  sustained  by  sub- 
sequent deeds.  Wilson  Law  was  the  Benedict  Arnold  of  Nau- 
voo.  In  less  than  two  years  after  he  wrote  that  letter,  filled 
with  sentiments  of  intense  affection,  he  aided  to  bring  the 
Prophet  to  his  death. 

Joseph  had  considered,  during  a  brief  time  after  the  ser- 
vice of  this  writ,  the  advisability  of  taking  his  family  and  trav- 
eling into  the  distant  north-west,  to  remain  for  a  season,  in 
order  that  persecution  might  be  drawn  away  from  Nauvoo  and 
the  people  there  be  spared  the  horrors  which  had  attended  the 
Saints  in  Missouri.  But  when  he  found  that  the  hatred  of  his 
opponents  was  extended  to  the  city  and  people  of  Nauvoo,  he 
abandoned  all  thought  of  retreating  from  the  scene.  If  his 
absence  could  have  preserved  his  brethren  and  sisters,  he  would 
have  cheerfully  banished  himself  into  the  wilderness,  but  since 
the  danger  which  menaced  them  was  a  common  danger  he 
would  remain  and  share  it. 

On  the  night  of  the  15th  of  August,  Hyrum  Smith  and 
several  others  came  to  Joseph's  hiding  place  and  informed 
him  that  the  officers  had  threatened  to  bring  a  great  force 
against  the  city  and  that  the  Prophet  would  be  safer  at  a  dis- 
tance. The  brethren  who  brought  this  message  and  advice 
labored  under  great  excitement  and  fear  for  Joseph;  but  he 
took  occasion  to  calmly  reprove  them  for  their  agitation,  and 
he  advised  them  to  maintain  an  even  and  undaunted  mind. 
Their  courage  was  renewed  with  this  exhibition  of  his  forti- 
tude, and  they  gladly  remained  with  him  in  serenity  and  joy, 
listening  to  his  salutary  counsels  until  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

From  his  retreat  he  issued  on  the  15th  an  editorial  article 
for  the  Times  and  Seasons  under  the  title,  "  Persecution,"  in 
which  he  analyzes  this  movement  against  himself  and  the 
Saints  and  demonstrated  the  ridiculous  illegality  and  insuffi- 
ciency of  the  process. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  385 

Emma  had  declared  her  willingness  to  share  her  hus- 
band's exile  and  self-imposed  banishment  if  necessary.  As 
that  plan  was  abandoned  she  offered  to  visit  Governor  Carlin 
and  lay  Joseph's  case  before  that  functionary.  In  answer  to 
this  proposition  the  Prophet  wrote  to  her: 

"The  governor  is  a  fool;  the  more  we  flatter  him  the 
more  eager  he  will  be  for  our  destruction.  You  may  write  to 
him  whatever  you  see  proper ;  but  to  go  and  see  him  I  do  not 
give  my  consent." 

With  this  permission  to  write,  Emma  addressed  a  digni- 
fied and  able  communication  to  Carlin  in  which  she  calls  upon 
him,  by  virtue  of  his  position  as  an  officer  and  by  every  sense 
of  manliness,  to  spare  Joseph  and  the  people  of  Nauvoo  from 
unjust  persecution.  This  letter  alone  is  sufficient  to  demon- 
strate that  Emma  was  a  woman  of  superior  ability  and  that 
she  had  an  exalted  appreciation  and  love  for  her  great  hus- 
band. She  says: 

"Was  my  cause  the  interest  of  an  individual,  or  of  a 
number  of  individuals,  then,  perhaps,  I  might  be  justified  in 
remaining  silent.  But  it  is  not.  Nor  is  it  the  pecuniary 
interest  of  a  whole  community  alone  that  prompts  me  again 
to  appeal  to  your  Excellency.  But,  dear  sir,  it  is  for  the  peace 
and  safety  of  hundreds,  I  may  safely  say,  of  this  community, 
who  are  not  guilty  of  any  offense  against  the  laws  of  the 
country;  arid  also  the  life  of  my  husband,  who  has  not  com- 
mitted any  crime  whatever;  neither  has  he  transgressed  any 
of  the  laws,  or  any  part  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States;  neither  has  he  at  any  time  infringed  upon  the  rights 
of  any  man,  or  of  any  class  of  men,  or  community  of  any 
description.  Need  I  say  he  is  not  guilty  of  the  crime  alleged 
against  him  by  Governor  Boggs  ?  Indeed  it  does  seem  entirely 
superfluous  for  me,  or  any  one  of  his  friends  in  this  place,  to 
testify  to  his  innocence  of  that  crime,  when  so  many  of  the 
citizens  of  your  place,  and  of  many  other  places  in  this  state, 
as  Avell  as  in  the  territory,  do  know  positively  that  the  state- 
ment of  Governor  Boggs  is  without  the  least  shadow  of  truth  : 
and  we  do  know,  and  so  do  many  others,  that  the  prosecution 
against  him  has  been  conducted  in  an  illegal  manner;  and 
every  act  demonstrates  the  fact,  that  all  the  design  of  the  pro- 
secution is  to  throw  him  into  the  power  of  his  enemies,  with- 
out the  least  ray  of  hope  that  he  would  ever  be  allowed  to 

25 


386  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

obtain  a  fair  trial;  and  that  he  would  be  inhumanly  and 
ferociously  murdered,  no  person,  having  a  knowledge  of  the 
existing  circumstances,  has  one  remaining  doubt;  and  your 
honor  will  recollect  that  you  said  to  me  that  you  would  not 
advise  Mr.  Smith  ever  to  trust  himself  in  Missouri. 

"  And,  dear  sir,  you  cannot  for  one  moment  indulge  one 
unfriendly  feeling  towards  him,  if  he  abides  by  your  counsel. 
Then,  sir,  why  is  it  that  he  should  be  thus  cruelly  pursued  ? 
Why  not  give  him  the  privilege  of  the  laws  of  this  state  ? 
When  I  reflect  upon  the  many  cruel  and  illegal  operations  of 
Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  and  the  consequent  suffering  of  myself  and 
family,  and  the  incalculable  losses  and  sufferings  of  many  hun- 
dreds who  survived,  and  many  precious  lives  that  were  lost, — 
all  the  effect  of  unjust  prejudice  and  misguided  ambition,  pro- 
duced by  misrepresentation  and  calumny,  my  bosom  heaves 
with  unutterable  anguish.  And  who,  that  is  as  well 
acquainted  with  the  facts  as  the  people  of  the  city  of  Quincy, 
would  censure  me,  if  I  should  say  that  my  heart  burned  with 
just  indignation  towards  our  calumniators  as  well  as  the  per- 
petrators of  those  horrid  crimes  ? 

"But  happy  would  I  now  be  to  pour  out  my  heart  in 

fratitude  to  Governor  Boggs,  if  he  had  arose  with  the 
ignity  and  authority  of  the  chief  executive  of  the  state,  and 
put  down  every  illegal  transaction,  and  protected  the  peaceable 
citizens  and  enterprising  emigrants  from  the  violence  of  plun- 
dering outlaws,  who  have  ever  been  a  disgrace  to  the  state, 
and  always  will,  so  long  as  they  go  unpunished.  Yes,  I  say, 
how  happy  would  I  be  to  render  him  not  only  the  gratitude  of 
my  own  heart,  but  the  cheering  effusions  of  the  joyous  souls 
of  fathers  and  mothers,  of  brothers  and  sisters,  widows  and 
orphans,  whom  he  might  have  saved,  by  such  a  course, 
from  now  drooping  under  the  withering  hand  of  adversity, 
brought  upon  them  by  the  persecutions  of  wicked  and  corrupt 
men. 

"And  now  may  I  entreat  your  Excellency  to  lighten  the 
hand  of  oppression  and  persecution  which  is  laid  upon  me  and 
my  family,  which  materially  affect  the  peace  and  welfare  of 
this  whole  community;  for  let  me  assure  you  that  there  are 
many  whole  families  that  are  entirely  dependent  upon  the  pros- 
ecution and  success  of  Mr.  Smith's  temporal  business  for  their 
support;  and,  if  he  is  prevented  from  attending  to  the  com- 
mon avocations  of  life,  who  will  employ  those  innocent 
industrious,  poor  people,  and  provide  for  their  wants  ? 

"But,  my  dear  sir,  when  I  recollect  the  interesting  inter- 
view I  and  my  friends  had  with  you,  when  at  your  place,  and 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  887 

the  warm  assurances  you  gave  us  of  your  friendship  and  legal 
protection,  I  cannot  doubt  for  a  moment  your  honorable 
sincerity;  but  do  still  expect  you  to  consider  our  claims  upon 
your  protection  from  every  encroachment  upon  our  legal 
rights  as  loyal  citizens,  as  we  always  have  been,  still  are,  and 
are  determined  always  to  be  a  law-abiding  people;  and  I  still 
assure  myself  that,  when  you  are  fully  acquainted  with  the 
illegal  proceedings  practiced  against  us  in  the  suit  of  Governor 
Boggs,  you  will  recall  those  writs  which  have  been  issued 
against  Messrs.  Smith  and  Rockwell,  as  you  must  be  aware 
that  Mr.  Smith  was  not  in  Missouri,  and  of  course  he  could  not 
have  left  there;  with  many  other  considerations,  which,  if 
duly  considered,  will  justify  Mr.  Smith  in  the  course  he  has 
taken. 

"And  now  I  appeal  to  your  Excellency,  as  I  would  unto  a 
father,  who  is  not  only  able  but  willing  to  shield  me  and  mine 
from  every  unjust  prosecution.  I  appeal  to  your  sympathies, 
and  beg  you  to  spare  me  and  my  helpless  children.  I  beg 
you  to  spare  my  innocent  children  the  heart-rending  sorrow  of 
again  seeing  their  father  unjustly  dragged  to  prison  or  to 
death;  I  appeal  to  your  affections  as  a  son  and  beg  you 
to  spare  our  aged  mother — the  only  surviving  parent  we 
have  left — the  unsupportable  affliction  of  seeing  her  son, 
whom  she  knows  to  be  innocent  of  the  crimes  laid  to  his 
charge,  thrown  again  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  who  have 
so  long  sought  for  his  life;  in  whose  life  and  prosperity  she 
only  looks  for  the  few  remaining  comforts  she  can  enjoy.  I 
entreat  your  Excellency  to  spare  us  these  afflictions  and 
many  sutferings  which  cannot  be  uttered,  and  secure  to  your- 
self the  pleasure  of  doing  good,  and  vastly  increasing  human 
happiness — secure  to  yourself  the  benediction  of  the  aged,  and 
the  gratitude  of  the  young,  and  the  blessing  and  veneration  of 
the  rising  generation." 

The  tone  of  the  foregoing  also  proves  that  Emma  shared 
the  Prophet's  humanitarian  views,  and  it  proves  that  the  sen- 
timents Joseph  breathed  at  home  were  the  sentiments  he 
uttered  abroad,  prophetic  and  noble.  William  Clayton  carried 
this  letter  to  Governor  Carlin  at  Quincy  and  delivered  it  to 
him  in  the  presence  of  Judge  Ralston.  Carlin  read  the  com- 
munication with  great  attention  and  expressed  astonishment 
and  admiration  at  its  character.  He  first  proceeded  to 
announce  his  certainty  that  there  was  no  excitement  anywhere 
but. in  Nauvoo  and  among  the  "Mormons"  themselves;  that 


388  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

elsewhere  all  was  quiet  and  there  was  no  apprehension  of 
trouble.  However,  before  Elder  Clayton  departed,  the  gov- 
ernor so  far  forgot  his  falsehood  as  to  say  that  persons  were 
offering  their  services  every  day  either  in  person  or  by  letter 
to  fight  the  " Mormons;"  and  that  these  warlike  volunteers 
held  themselves  in  readiness  to  come  up  against  Nauvoo  when- 
ever he  should  call  upon  them.  He  had  the  effrontery  to  sug- 
gest that  Joseph  should  give  himself  up  to  the  sheriff',  despite 
the  fact  that  all  the  proceedings  were  notoriously  illegal,  and 
despite  the  fact  that  the  Prophet's  enemies  had  sworn  to  kill 
him  in  case  he  should  be  acquitted  of  the  charge  made  against 
him.  Carlin  could  not  even  say  that  if  Joseph  gave  himself 
up  his  protection  from  the  mob,  in  traveling  to  and  from 
court,  would  be  guaranteed. 

On  the  18th  of  August  the  pursuers  had  pressed  so  closely 
apon  the  Prophet's  retreat  that  he  departed  from  Brother 
Sayers'  house  and  went  to  the  residence  of  Carlos  Granger  in 
the  north-east  part  of  the  city. 

On  the  19th  of  August  Joseph  concluded  to  go  to  his  own 
home  and  remain  for  a  time. 

The  next  day,  Saturday,  August  20th,  1842,  the  Apostles 
met  in  council  and  ordained  Amasa  M.  Lyman  to  be  one  of 
the  Twelve.  Amasa  had  been  ordained  an  Elder  under 
Joseph's  hands  in  Hiram,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  in  1832,  and 
had  been  one  of  the  Prophet's  fellow-prisoners,  chained  to 
him  with  the  same  manacles,  in  Richmond  jail,  Missouri. 

On  Monday,  the  29th  day  of  August,  1842,  the  Prophet 
had  been  absent  from  the  congregation  of  the  Saints  three 
weeks — hiding  from  his  enemies.  On  that  day  the  conference 
was  assembled  in  the  grove  near  the  temple,  when  Joseph 
suddenly  appeared  upon  the  stand.  The  Saints  were  delighted 
to  see  him  and  showed  great  animation  and  cheerfulness.  He 
addressed  them  with  all  his  wonted  fire,  and  advised  them 
concerning  all  the  exigencies  of  their  situation.  He  reminded 
the  people  that  the  lies  of  John  C.  Bennett  were  being  scat- 
tered over  the  land  and  called  for  Elders  to  go  abroad  to 
declare  the  truth  and  refute  the  slanders  which  the  enemies  of 
the  Prophet  and  the  Church  were  circulating.  While  he 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  389 

talked  an  indescribable  transport  of  joy  was  manifested  by  the 
assembly ;  and  when  he  concluded  three  hundred  and  eighty 
Elders  volunteered  to  go  immediately  into  the  east  upon  the 
proposed  mission  of  enlightenment. 


CHAPTER    LIV. 

ATTEMPT    TO     CAPTURE    JOSEPH REWARD     OFFERED TRICKS     TO 

ENTRAP     THE     PROPHET HE      SUBMITS     TO     ARREST VISITS 

GOVERNOR    FORD — HIS    EXAMINATION    AND    RELEASE — A    TRAI- 
TOR'S  THREAT. 

THE  interposition  of  Providence  saved  Joseph  from  the  hands 
of  his  enemies  on  the  3rd  day  of  September,  1842. 

A  considerable  party  of  mobocrats,  joined  with  some 
officers  of  the  law,  left  Quincy  on  the  2nd  of  the  month, 
intending  to  reach  Nauvoo  in  the  night,  surround  the 
Prophet's  house  and  seize  him  in  his  bed.  Although  their 
road  lay  plainly  before  them,  and  to  lose  it  would  seem  impos- 
sible, yet  they  wandered  from  the  track  and  were  many  hours 
late  in  reaching  their  destination.  About  noon  on  the  3rd, 
Deputy-Sheriff  Pitman  with  two ,  other  men  came  stealthily 
upon  Joseph's  residence  and  entered  it  while  he  was  at  dinner 
with  his  family.  Before  they  reached  the  room  where  the 
Prophet  was  they  met  John  Boynton  and  demanded  that  he 
should  reveal  Joseph's  hiding  place.  While  Boynton  was 
making  some  evasive  answer,  the  Prophet  walked  out  through 
a  rear  door  of  the  mansion,  and  entering  a  patch  of  tall  corn  in 
the  garden,  passed  serenely  through  to  the  residence  of  Newel 
K  Whitney. 

In  the  meantime  the  officers  proceeded  to  search  the 
house.  Emma  demanded  a  sight  of  the  warrant  under  which 
they  were  proceeding.  Pitman  said  he  had  none  authorizing 


390  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

him  to  search,  but  insisted  upon  going  through  the  house.  After 
Emma  felt  sure  that  Joseph  had  escaped,  she  permitted  them 
to  hunt  through  the  building. 

Again,  that  night  two  parties  made  another  search  of  the 
residence  but  failed  to  discover  him  whom  they  wished  to 
make  their  prey. 

About  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  Prophet  went  to 
the  house  of  Edward  Hunter,  where  he  received  a  joyous  wel- 
come and  where  it  was  believed  that  he  could  be  kept  safe 
from  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  News  was  brought  that  the 
Missourians  were  again  moving  in  force  to  obtain  his  person, 
and  two  requisitions  were  issued,  one  upon  the  governor  of 
Illinois  and  the  other  upon  the  governor  of  Iowa. 

From  his  retirement,  the  Prophet  sent  out  comforting 
epistles  to  the  Saints.  In  one  letter,  written  from  the  residence 
of  Elder  Hunter  under  date  of  September  6th,  1842,  the 
Prophet  said: 

*****  "It  is  sufficient  to  know,  in  this 
case,  that  the  earth  will  be  smitten  with  a  curse,  unless  there 
is  a  welding  link  of  some  kind  or  other  between  the  fathers 
and  the  children,  upon  some  subject  or  other:  and  behold, 
what  is  the  subject?  It  is  baptism  for  the  dead.  For  we  with- 
out them  cannot  be  made  perfect;  neither  can  they  without  us 
be  made  perfect.  Neither  can  they  or  we  be  made  perfect 
without  those  who  have  died  in  the  gospel  also  ;  for  it  is  nec- 
essary in  the  ushering  in  of  the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of 
times,  which  dispensation  is  now  beginning  to  usher  in,  that  a 
whole,  and  complete  and  perfect  union,  and  welding  together 
of  dispensations,  and  keys,  and  powers,  and  glories  should 
take  place,  and  be  revealed,  from  the  days  of  Adam  even  to 
the  present  time;  and  not  only  this,  but  those  things  which 
have  never  been  revealed  from  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
but  have  been  kept  hid  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  shall  be 
revealed  unto  babes  and  sucklings  in  this  the  dispensation  of 
the  fullness  of  times. 

"Now,  what  do  we  hear  in  the  gospel  which  we  have 
received?  A  voice  of  gladness!  A  voice  of  mercy  from 
heaven,  and  a  voice  of  truth  out  of  the  earth;  glad  tidings  for 
the  dead;  a  voice  of  gladness  for  the  living  and  the  dead;  glad 
tidings  of  great  joy.  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are 
the  feet  of  those  that  bring  glad  tidings  of  good  things,  and 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  391 

that  say  unto  Zion,  Behold!  thy  God  reigneth.  As  the  dews 
of  Carmel,  so  shall  the  knowledge  of  God  descend  upon 
them!"  *  *  *  * 

"Brethren,  shall  we  not  go  on  in  so  great  a  cause?  Go 
forward,  and  not  backward.  Courage,  brethren,  and  on,  on 
to  the  victory  !  Let  your  hearts  rejoice,  and  be  exceeding 
glad.  Let  the  earth  break  forth  into  singing.  Let  the  dead 
speak  forth  anthems  of  eternal  praise  to  the  King  Immanuel, 
who  hath  ordained,  before  the  world  was,  that  which  would 
enable  us  to  redeem  them  out  of  their  prisqris;  for  the  prison- 
ers shall  go  free. 

"Let  the  mountains  shout  for  joy,  and  all  ye  valleys  cry 
aloud;  and  all  ye  seas  and  dry  lands  tell  the  wonders  of  your 
eternal  King.  And  ye  rivers,  and  brooks,  and  rills  flow  down 
with  gladness.  Let  the  woods  and  all  the  trees  of  the  field 
praise  the  Lord;  and  ye  solid  rocks  weep  for  joy.  And  let  the 
sun,  moon  and  the  morning  stars  sing  together,  and  let  all  the 
sons  of  God  shout  for  joy.  And  let  the  eternal  creations 
declare  His  name  for  ever  and  ever.  And  again,  I  say,  how 
glorious  is  the  voice  we  hear  from  heaven,  proclaiming  in  our 
ears,  glory,  and  salvation,  and  honor,  and  immortality,  and 
eternal  life,  kingdoms,  principalities  and  powers! 

"Behold  the  great  day  of  the  Lord  is  at  hand;  and  who 
can  abide  the  day  of  His  coming,  and  who  can  stand  when  He 
appeareth  ? " 

The  brethren  constantly  visited  him  in  his  retirement,  and 
he  gave  them  instructions  and  counsels  to  suit  every  need. 

On  the  10th  day  of  September  the  Prophet  returned  to 
his  home,  believing  that  he  would  be  as  safe  there  as  anywhere 
else,  since  his  enemies  would  no  longer  expect  him  to  take 
such  a  risk. 

About  the  1st  of  October  Governor  Carlin  issued  a  pro- 
clamation offering  a  reward  of  two  hundred  dollars  each  for 
the  persons  of  Joseph  Smith  and  Orrin  P.  Rockwell.  At  the 
same  time  Governor  Reynolds  of  Missouri  promised  an  addi- 
tional price  for  the  same  purpose.  On  the  day  when  this  news 
was  brought  to  the  Prophet  his  wife  Emma  was  dangerously 
sick.  She  continued  to  grow  worse  until  the  5th  when  fear  of 
her  death  was  entertained.  The  Prophet  had  her  baptized 
twice  in  the  river;  and  she  began  to  mend  and  on  the  day  fol- 
lowing, hope  was  restored  to  the  family. 


392  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

Sidney  Rigdon  and  Elias  Higbee  reported  at  Nauvoo  that 
the  Missourians  were  gathering  to  unite  with  the  militia  of 
Illinois  to  secure  the  Prophet's  person.  They  had  learned 
that  Carlin  had  intentionally  issued  an  illegal  writ,  expecting 
thereby  to  draw  Joseph  to  Carthage  where  he  would  be  dis- 
charged under  habeas  corpus  proceedings  and  fall  at  once  into 
the  hands  of  his  waiting  enemies,  who  were  to  be  there  in 
numbers  to  seize  and  carry  him  away  to  Missouri  without  fur- 
ther ceremony.  Sidney  Rigdon  was  told  by  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  that  the  governor's  proclamation,  offering  a  reward 
to  any  man  or  set  of  men  to  secure  Joseph's  person,  would 
give  as  much  authority  as  a  legal  warrant  could  to  an 
officer. 

It  seemed  likely  that  a  general  search  would  be  instituted 
in  Eauvoo,  and  Joseph  concluded  to  leave  his  home  once 
more  and  go  into  more  remote  retirement.  On  the  night  of 
Friday,  the  7th  of  October,  1842,  he  started  away  from 
Nauvoo,  in  company  with  Elders  John  Taylor,  Wilson  Law 
and  John  D.  Parker,  traveling  through  that  night  and  a  part 
of  the  next  day  when,  greatly  wearied,  they  arrived  at  Father 
Taylor's  house.  Elder  John  Taylor  was  very  dangerously  ill  at 
this  time,  being  prostrated  with  fever.  The  message  from  the 
Prophet  that  he  desired  Elder  Taylor  to  accompany  him  as  a 
guide  to  Father  Taylor's  came  to  him  when  he  was  in  bed  and 
too  weak  to  be  capable  of  much  exertion.  It  was  a  task 
utterly  beyond  his  strength,  and  to  human  appearance  it 
might  cost  him  his  life  if  he  attempted  it.  But  Joseph  had 
sent  him  word  that  the  Lord  would  strengthen  him  and  heal 
him  and  he  would  be  able  to  perform  the  journey.  Elder 
Taylor  believed  him  and  prepared  to  start.  He  was  so  weak 
that  he  had  to  be  lifted  on  his  horse.  The  night  was  dark 
and  he  was  not  very  familiar  with  the  road  and  they  lost  their 
way ;  but  the  promise  of  the  servant  of  the  Lord  to  Elder 
Taylor  was  fulfilled.  He  endured  the  fatigue  of  the.  journey 
excellently  and  they  reached  his  father's  house  safely. 

The  Prophet  remained  away  until  Thursday,  the  20th  of 
October,  when  he  returned  to  his  family  and  the  brethren  who 
needed  his  presence  and  advice. 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  303 

In  this  same  month  a  written  opinion  was  received  from 
Justin  Butterfield,  United  States  attorney  for  the  district  of 
Illinois,  in  which  he  proved  the  illegality  of  the  requisition 
made  by  the  governor  of  Missouri  upon  the  governor  of 
Illinois  for  the  surrender  of  the  Prophet.  In  the  same  docu- 
ment he  showed  in  a  very  lucid  manner  what  were  the  rights 
and  privileges  of  the  people  of  Nauvoo,  pertaining  to  writs  of 
habeas  corpus  issued  from  their  municipal  court,  and  the  full 
power  and  authority  of  the  city  council.  This  opinion  removes 
at  once  and  forever  all  shadow  of  suspicion  that  the  Prophet 
was  acting  in  a  disrespectful  manner  toward  the  laws  of  his 
country. 

After  one  day  at  Nauvoo,  Joseph  returned  to  Father 
Taylor's;  but  in  a  week  he  was  called  home  to  find  Emma 
worse.  With  his  presence  her  health  was  soon  renewed. 

On  Sunday,  the  30th  of  October,  the  Saints  met  in  wor- 
ship upon  a  temporary  floor  in  the  temple.  The  Prophet  was 
expected  to  address  them,  but  on  that  day  he  was  so  ill  as  to 
be  unable  to  be  present.  Two  days  later,  while  driving  out 
with  his  three  children  and  William  Clayton,  the  carriage  was 
upset  on  the  hill-side.  Joseph  was  thrown  some  distance,  but 
all  of  the  little  ones  were  pinioned  under  the  shattered 
vehicle.  As  soon  as  he  could  rise  he  rushed  to  rescue  his  boys 
and  found  them  unhurt.  The  escape  was  marvelous,  and  he 
thanked  his  Maker  therefor. 

The  multiplicity  of  other  business  upon  his  hands  made  it 
impossible  for  Joseph  to  continue  as  editor  of  the  Times  and 
Seasons.  On  the  15th  day  of  'November,  1842,  he  appointed 
Apostle  John  Taylor  to  that  position. 

Carlin's  term  as  governor  closed  in  1842;  and  on  the 
8th  day  of  December  of  that  year  Thomas  Ford,  his  successor, 
delivered  an  inaugural  address  to  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives  of  the  state  in  which  he  declared  that  the  char- 
ters granted  to  the  people  of  Kauvoo  were  objectionable  to 
other  citizens  of  the  state,  and  that  these  charters  should  be 
modified  and  restricted. 

On  the  next  day,  the  9th,  Hyrum  Smith  started  for 
Springfield,  with  a  number  of  other  brethren,  to  present  tes- 


394  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

timony  to  the  governor  that  Joseph  was  in  Illinois  at  the 
time  Boggs  was  shot,  and  consequently  could  not  have  been  a 
fugitive  from  the  justice  of  Missouri.  It  was  hoped  by  this 
means  to  procure  a  recall  by  Governor  Ford  of  the  writs  and 
proclamations  issued  by  Carlin.  On  the  day  of  the  departure 
of  these  brethren  the  Prophet  began  personally  to  haul  and  cut 
wood  for  the  poor  of  Nauvoo;  and  this  labor  of  love  and 
charity  was  continued  vigorously  and  cheerfully  as  opportunity 
permitted.  About  this  same  time  he  began  to  read  German  in 
company  with  Apostle  Orson  Hyde. 

The  friends  of  the  Prophet  called  upon  Governor  Ford  at 
Springfield  on  Wednesday,  the  14th  day  of  December,  1842, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Butterfield,  United  States  district 
attorney.  Butterfield  read  to  the  governor  several  papers  in 
the  case — including  the  affidavit  of  Boggs,  the  writs  and  pro- 
clamation of  Carlin,  the  petition  of  the  Prophet,  and  also  his 
own  written  opinion  upon  the  question  at  issue.  In  reply, 
the  governor  stated  that  he  believed  the  writ  issued  by  Carlin 
was  illegal,  but  he  hesitated  to  interfere  with  the  act  of  his 
predecessor.  Ford,  on  the  17th  of  December,  directed  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  Joseph : 

"  Your  petition  requesting  me  to  rescind  Governor  Car- 
lin's  proclamation  and  recall  the  writ  issued  against  you  has 
been  received  and  duly  considered.  I  submitted  your  case 
and  all  the  papers  relating  thereto  to  the  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  or  at  least  to  six  of  them,  who  happened  to 
be  present.  They  were  unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  the 
requisition  from  Missouri  was  illegal  and  insufficient  to  cause 
your  arrest,  but  were  equally  divided  as  to  the  propriety  and 
justice  of  my  interference  with  the  acts  of  Governor  Carlin. 
It  being,  therefore,  a  case  of  great  doubt  as  to  my  power,  and 
I  not  wishing,  even  in  an  official  station,  to  assume  the  exer- 
cise of  doubtful  powers,  and  inasmuch  as  you  have  a  sure  and 
effectual  remedy  in  the  courts,  I  have  decided  to  decline  inter- 
fering. I  can  only  advise  that  you  submit  to  the  laws  and 
have  a  judicial  investigation  of  your  rights.  If  it  should 
become  necessary,  for  this  purpose,  to  repair  to  Springfield,  I 
do  not  believe  that  there  will  be  any  disposition  to  use  illegal 
violence  towards  you;  and  I  would  feel  it  my  duty  in  your 
case,  as  in  the  case  of  any  other  person,  to  protect  you  with 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  395 

any  necessary  amount  of  force  from  mob  violence  whilst 
assorting  your  rights  before  the  courts,  going  to  and  return- 
ing." 

This  advice  was  repeated  in  communications  of  the  same 
date  from  Justin  Butterfield  and  General  Adams  to  the 
Prophet;  as  these  gentlemen  thought  that  he  would  be  certain 
of  discharge  and  protection. 

Joseph,  after  a  few  days  of  deliberation  and  prayer,  con- 
cluded to  pursue  the  course  suggested.  He  allowed  himself 
to  be  arrested  under  the  governor's  proclamation,  on  the  26th 
day  of  December  by  General  Wilson  Law.  In  custody  of 
Law,  and  accompanied  by  Hyrum  Smith,  Willard  Richards, 
John  Taylor  and  others,  the  Prophet  departed  for  Springfield 
on  Tuesday,  the  27th  day  of  December. 

Joseph  and  his  party  arrived  at  Springfield  on  the  after- 
noon of  Friday,  December  30th;  and  the  next  morning  under 
direction  of  his  attorney,  Butterfield,  he  signed  a  petition  to 
Judge  Pope  for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  Upon  the  brief  and 
vigorous  showing  made  by  the  lawyer  the  writ  was  granted  at 
once ;  and,  the  Prophet  being  there,  it  was  served  and  returned 
to  the  court  in  one  minute.  Bail  was  granted  and  General 
James  Adams  and  General  Wilson  Law  signed  the  bonds  for 
the  Prophet,  in  the  sum  of  $2,000  each,  Monday  the  2nd  day 
of  January  being  set  for  the  trial.  While  these  preliminaries 
were  being  arranged,  a  vast  crowd  was  gathering  in  the  court 
room  curious  to  see  the  famous  Prophet.  As  Joseph  and  his 
friends  were  passing  through  the  building,  one  of  the  multi- 
tude observed: 

"  There  goes  Smith  the  Prophet,  and  a  good-looking  man 
he  is." 

Another  said : 

"Every  one  that  takes  his  part  is  as  damned  a  rascal  as 
he  is." 

A  riot  would  have  ensued  and  a  mob  would  have  been 
raised  to  do  violence  upon  the  Prophet  and  his  friends,  but  for 
the  vigorous  exertion  of  Marshal  Prentice. 

After  the  crowd  was  dispersed  so  that  the  Prophet  could 
get  clear  of  the  building,  he  walked  for  some  distance  between 


396  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

living  walls  of  staring  people.  In  company  with  his  attorney, 
Mr.  Butterfield,  and  Elder  Willard  •  Richards  he  went  to  the 
American  House  to  see  Governor  Ford  who  was  sick.  In  the 
course  of  their  conversation  Ford  remarked  :  "  I  am  not  relig- 
iously minded." 

Joseph  responded  :  "I  have  no  narrow  creed  to  circum- 
scibe  my  mind;  therefore  the  sectarians  do  not  like  me." 

When  the  visit  closed  the  governor  said:  "Well,  from 
reports,  I  had  reason  to  think  that  the  Mormons  were  a 
peculiar  people,  different  from  other  people,  having  horns  or 
something  of  the  kind;  but  I  found  that  they  looked  like 
other  people;  indeed,  I  think  Mr.  Smith  a  very  good-looking 
man." 

The  interest  and  curiosity  concerning  the  Prophet  grew 
more  intense  throughout  the  day,  after  the  news  of  his  pres- 
ence became  generally  circulated.  In  the  afternoon  a  team 
ran  away,  dashing  past  the  state  house.  Some  one  raised  the  cry : 

"Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon  Prophet,  is  running  away  ! " 

So  great  was  the  excitement  occasioned  by  this  announce- 
ment that  the  House  of  Representatives  adjourned  on  the 
instant,  to  give  the  members  an  opportunity  to  get  into  the 
street  and  participate  in  the  supposed  sensation. 

The  next  morning  was  Sunday,  the  1st  day  of  January, 
1843;  when  the  speaker  of  the  house  visited  the  Prophet  and 
tendered  the  hall  of  representatives  for  religious  service. 
Joseph  appointed  Apostles  Orson  Hyde  and  John  Taylor  to 
preach  to  the  people;  and  a  large  congregation  gathered  to 
hear  the  sermons  and  feast  their  eyes  upon  Joseph  Smith. 

On  Monday,  before  going  to  court,  Joseph  prophesied  in 
the  presence  of  Judge  Adams  that,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
he  would  not  go  to  Missouri  dead  or  alive. 

A  postponement  was  had  of  the  case  at  the  request  of  the 
attorney -general  of  the  state  until  the  morning  of  Wednes- 
day, January  4th.  During  the  intervening  two  days  the 
Prophet  made  many  friends.  He  was  invited  to  the  houses  of 
the  most  distinguished  people,  and  received  as  much  deferen- 
tial attention  as  would  have  been  accorded  by  faithful  Catholics 
to  a  prince  of  the  church  of  Rome. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  :>!>7 

At  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  day  set  for  the  trial 
Judge  Pope  appeared  upon  the  bench  with  ten  ladies  by  liis 
side,  who  had  been  attracted  by  the  novelty  of  the  case  and 
the  fame  of  the  petitioner.  This  Judge  Pope  was  the  father 
of  Major-General  Pope  who,  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion, 
became  so  distinguished  for  his  gallant  services.  An  effort 
was  made  by  Josiah  Lamborn,  attorney-general  of  the  state 
of  Illinois,  to  have  the  proceedings  dismissed,  and  the  prisoner 
remanded  to  the  custody  of  the  Missouri  officers  on  the 
ground  that  the  court  lacked  jurisdiction.  After  the  motion 
of  Lamborn  had  been  resolutely  and  eloquently  resisted  by 
Butterfield,  the  court  decided  that  it  had  jurisdiction. 

Mr.  Butterfield  then  made  a  strong  plea  for  the  discharge 
of  the  defendant,  and  proceeded  to  recount  the  enormities  of 
these  attempts  upon  the  Prophet's  liberty.  He  said  that  Gov- 
ernor Reynolds  had  subscribed  to  a  lie  in  making  his  demand  for 
the  Prophet,  as  appeared  from  the  papers,  and  he  averred  that 
Governor  Carlin  would  not  have  given  up  his  dog  on  such  a 
requisition.  That  an  attempt  should  be  made  to  deliver  up  a 
man  who  had  not  been  out  of  the  state  during  or  since  the 
commission  of  the  offence,  was  a  blow  at  the  sacred  liberty  of 
the  citizen  and  the  strength  of  our  institutions.  After  remind- 
ing the  court  that,  it  the  Prophet's  rights  were  wantonly 
trampled  upon  under  color  of  law,  the  fate  visited  upon  him 
might  in  turn  fall  upon  others — even  upon  the  judge — for  the 
precedent  would  be  followed;  he  concluded  by  saying: 

"I  do  not  think  that  the  defendant  ought,  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, be  given  up  to  Missouri.  It  is  a  matter  of  his- 
tory that  he  and  his  people  have  been  murdered  or  driven 
from  that  state.  If  he  goes  there  it  is  only  to  be  assassinated, 
and  he  had  better  be  sent  to  the  gallows  here.  He  is  an  inno- 
cent and  unoffending  man." 

The  opinion  of  Judge  Pope  in  deciding  the  case  was  very 
lengthy  and  comprehensive.  It  announced  the  discharge  of 
the  Prophet,  and  completely  annihilated  the  pretended  grounds 
upon  which  the  requisition  was  made  from  Missouri  and  the 
warrant  and  proclamation  issued  in  Illinois.  In  conclusion  his 
Honor  said: 


398  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

"No  case  can  arise  demanding  a  more  searching  scrutiny 
into  the  evidence  than  in  cases  arising  under  this  part  of  the 
constitution  of  the  United  States.  It  is  proposed  to  deprive  a 
freeman  of  his  liberty;  to  deliver  him  into  the  custody  of 
strangers;  to  be  transported  to  a  foreign  state;  to  be  arraigned 
for  trial  before  a  foreign  tribunal,  governed  by  laws  unknown 
to  him;  separated  from  his  friends,  his  family,  and  his  wit- 
nesses, unknown  and  unknowing.  Had  he  an  immaculate 
character,  it  would  not  avail  him  with  strangers.  Such  a 
spectacle  is  appalling  enough  to  challenge  the  strictest  analysis. 

"  The  framers  of  the  constitution  were  not  insensible  of 
the  importance  of  courts  possessing  the  confidence  of  the 
parties.  They  therefore  provided  that  citizens  of  different 
states  might  resort  to  the  Federal  Courts  in  civil  causes.  How 
much  more  important  that  the  criminal  have  confidence  in  his 
judge  and  jury.  Therefore,  before  the  capias  is  issued,  the 
officers  should  see  that  the  case  is  made  out  to  warrant  it. 
Again,  Boggs  was  shot  on  the  6th  of  May.  The  affidavit  was 
made  on  the  25th  of  July  following.  Here  was  time  for 
enquiry,  which  would  confirm  into  certainty,  or  dissipate  his 
suspicions.  He  had  time  to  collect  facts  to  be  had  before  a 
grand  jury,  or  be  incorporated  in  his  affidavit. 

"  The  court  is  bound  to  assume  that  this  would  have  been 
the  course  of  Mr.  Boggs  but  that  his  suspicions  were  light  and 
unsatisfactory.  The  affidavit  is  insufficient.  First,  because  it 
is  not  positive;  second,  because  it  charges  no  crime;  third, 
because  it  charges  no  crime  committed  in  the  state  of  Missouri. 
Therefore  he  did  not  flee  from  the  justice  of  the  state  of  Mis- 
souri, nor  has  he  taken  refuge  in  the  state  of  Illinois. 

u  The  proceedings  in  this  affair,  from  the  affidavit  to  the 
arrest,  afford  a  lesson  to  governors  and  judges  whose  action 
may  hereafter  he  invoked  in  cases  of  this  character.  The  affi- 
davit simply  says  that  the  affiant  was  shot  with  intent  to  kill; 
a,nd  he  believes  that  Smith  was  accessory  before  the  fact  to  the 
intended  murder,  and  is  a  citizen  or  resident  of  the  state  of 
Illinois.  It  is  not  said  who  shot  him,  or  that  the  person  was 
unknown.  The  governor  of  Missouri,  in  his  demand,  calls 
Smith  a  fugitive  from  justice,  charged  with  being  accessory 
before  the  fact  to  an  assault,  with  intent  to  kill,  made  by  one 
O.  P.  Rockwell,  on  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  in  this  state  (Missouri). 
This  governor  expressly  refers  to  the  affidavit  as  his  authority 
for  that  statement. 

"Boggs,  in  his  affidavit,  does  not  call  Smith  a  fugitive 
from  justice,  nor  does  he  state  a  fact  from  which  the  governor 
had  a  right  to  infer  it.  Neither  does  the  name  of  0.  P.  Rock- 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 


well  appear  in  the  affidavit,  nor  does  Boggs  say  Smith  fled. 
Yet  the  governor  says  he  has  fled  to  the  state  of  Illinois.  But 
Boggs  only  says  he  is  a  citizen  or  resident  of  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois. The  governor  of  Illinois,  responding  to  the  demand  of 
the  Executive  of  Missouri  for  the  arrest  of  Smith,  issues  his 
warrant  for  the  arrest  of  Smith,  reciting  that  'whereas  Joseph 
Smith  stands  charged  by  the  affidavit  of  Lilburn  W.  Boggs 
with  being  accessory  before  the  fact  to  an  assault,  with  intent 
to  kill,  made  by  one  O.  P.  Rockwell,  on  Lilburn  W.  Boggs, 
on  the  night  of  the  6th  day  of  May,  1842,  at  the  county  of 
Jackson,  in  said  state  of  Missouri;  and  that  the  said  Joseph 
Smith  has  fled  from  the  justice  of  said  state,  and  taken  refuge 
in  the  state  of  Illinois.' 

"Those  facts  do  not  appear  by  the  affidavit  of  Boggs. 
On  the  contrary,  it  does  not  assert  that  Smith  was  accessory 
to  0.  P.  Rockwell,  nor  that  he  had  fled  from  the  justice  of  the 
state  of  Missouri,  and  taken  refuge  in  the  state  of  Illinois. 

u  The  Court  can  alone  regard  the  facts  set  forth  in  the 
affidavit  of  Boggs  as  having  any  legal  existence.  The  mis- 
recitals  and  over-statements  in  the  requisition  and  warrant  are 
not  supported  by  oath,  and  cannot  be  received  as  evidence  to 
deprive  a  citizen  of  his  liberty  and  transport  him  to  a  foreign 
state  for  trial.  For  these  reasons  Smith  must  be  discharged." 

Thereupon  Governor  Ford  certified  that  there  was  no 
further  cause  for  the  arrest  or  detention  of  Joseph  Smith  by 
virtue  of  any  proclamation  or  warrant  issued  by  the  Executive 
of  Illinois;  and  that,  since  the  judgment  of  the  circuit  court, 
all  such  proclamations  and  warrants  were  inoperative  and 
void. 

After  the  conclusion  of  these  proceedings,  and  the  settle- 
ment of  matters  attendant,  the  Prophet  returned  to  Nauvoo 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  10th  of  January.  The  Saints  were 
delighted  to  welcome  him  safe  home,  and  the  Twelve  Apostles 
issued  an  epistle  to  the  Saints,  appointing  Tuesday,  the  17th 
day  of  January,  1843,  as  a  day  of  humiliation,  fasting,  praise, 
prayer  and  thanksgiving  before  the  great  God  for  His  mercies, 
and  supplicating  for  a  continued  outpouring  of  His  holy  spirit 
upon  the  Prophet  and  Saints. 

The  promised  joy  of  this  festival  was  marred  by  the 
threats  of  a  traitor.  On  the  15th  of  January  Sidney  Rigdon 
received  the  following  letter  from  John  C.  Bennett: 


400  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

"  SPRINGFIELD,  ILLINOIS,  January  10,  1843. 
Mr.  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Orson  Pratt. 

"DEAR  FRIENDS: — It  is  a  long  time  since  I  have 
written  to  you,  and  I  should  now  much  desire  to  see  you,  but 
I  leave  to-night  for  Missouri,  to  meet  the  messenger  charged 
with  the  arrest  of  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum  Smith,  Lyman 
Wight  and  others,  for  murder,  burglary,  treason,  etc.,  etc., 
who  will  be  demanded,  in  a  few  days,  on  new  indictments, 
found  by  the  grand  jury  of  a  called  court  on  the  original  evi- 
dence, and  in  relation  to  which  a  nolle  prosequi  was  entered  by 
the  district  attorney. 

"  lN"ew  proceedings  have  been  gotten  up  on  the  old 
charges,  and  no  habeas  corpus  can  then  save  them.  We  shall 
try  Smith  on  the  Boggs  case,  when  we  get  him  into  Missouri. 
The  war  goes  bravely  on;  and,  although  Smith  thinks  he  is 
now  safe,  the  enemy  is  near,  even  at  the  door.  He  has  awakened 
the  wrong  passenger.  The  Governor  will  relinquish  Joseph 
at  once  on  the  new  requisition.  There  is  but  one  opinion  on 
the  case,  and  that  is,  nothing  can  save  Joseph  on  a  new  requi- 
sition and  demand  predicted  on  the  old  charges  on  the  institu- 
tion of  new  writs.  He  must  go  to  Missouri;  but  he  shall  not 
be  harmed,  if  he  is  not  guilty:  but  he  is  a  murderer,  and  must 
suffer  the  penalty  of  the  law.  Enough  on  this  subject. 

"  I  hope  that  both  your  kind  and  amiable  families  are 
well,  and  you  will  please  to  give  them  all  my  best  respects.  I 
hope  to  see  you  all  soon.  When  the  officer  arrives,  I  shall  be 
near  at  hand.  I  shall  see  you  all  again.  Please  to  write  me 
at  Independence  immediately. 

"  Yours  respectfully, 

"  JOHN  C.  BENNETT." 

Sidney  perused  the  cowardly  missive,  and  instead  of 
warning  the  Prophet,  he  gave  the  communication  to  Orson 
Pratt,  but  the  latter  at  once  presented  it  to  the  Prophet  that 
he  might  know  of  the  further  plot  against  his  life.  Orson 
Pratt  wanted  no  correspondence  with  Bennett,  the  traitor,  and 
had  no  fellowship  with  his  works  of  darkness. 

On  Wednesday,  the  18th  day  of  January,  1843,  Joseph 
and  Emma  entertained  a  large  company  of  brethren  and 
sisters  at  their  house  to  celebrate  the  fifteenth  anniversary  of 
their  wedding. 


CHAPTER  LY. 

A  BREATHING  SPELL — JOSEPH'S    ANTICIPATION  OF    HIS    SACRIFICE — 
MANY  PROPHECIES  AND  AN  IMPORTANT  THEOLOGICAL  EPOCH  IN 

THE    EARLY    PART    OF    1843 WRESTLING    AND    OTHER    MANLY 

SPORTS — EXTRACTS  FROM  HIS  SERMONS — ATTACK  ON  THE  NAU- 
VOO  CHARTER THE  LULL  WAS  BRIEF. 

ONE  of  the  very  few  seasons  of  peace  in  Joseph's  life  now 
dawned  upon  him.  It  was  none  the  less  appreciated  because 
it  was  brief. 

The  early  part  of  1843  is  one  of  the  marked  epochs  in 
the  theological  history  of  the  Church.  The  Prophet,  having 
his  unrestrained  liberty,  was  enabled  to  give  to  the  Saints  in 
writings,  sermons  and  in  personal  conversations,  many  proph- 
ecies and  principles  for  spiritual  and  temporal  guidance. 

Joseph  must  have  known  that  this  was  but  the  lull  which 
precedes  the  fiercer  outburst  of  the  tempest;  for  in  January, 
1843,  outlining  some  work  which  he  designed  that  the  Twelve 
should  perform  very  soon  thereafter,  he  promised  his  assist- 
ance and  leadership  to  them,  with  this  very  significant  condi- 
tion upon  which  he  placed  emphasis : 

"If  Hive." 

A  few  days  later,  on  Sunday,  the  22nd  day  of  January, 
he  preached  from  the  stand  which  had  been  erected  inside  the 
temple  walls,  a  temporary  floor  having  been  put  in  that  build- 
ing for  the  purpose  of  holding  meetings  there.  President 
Wilford  Woodruff  made  a  synopsis  of  the  sermon,  in  which 
occurs  the  following: 

"God  Almighty  is  my  shield;  and  what  can  man  do  if 
God  is  my  friend  ?  I  shall  not  be  sacrificed  until  my  time  comes; 
then  I  shall  be  offered  freely." 

The  Prophet  recorded  this  same  prophecy  concerning  his 
own  fate  in  his  journal,  showing  thereby  that  he  recognized 
its  weight  and  foresaw  its  fulfillment. 


402  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Among  his  many  prophecies  of  this  period  was  one  con- 
cerning Orrin  P.  Rockwell  who  had  been  captured,  impris- 
oned and  maltreated  in  Missouri.  There  seemed  no  human 
possibility  of  Porter  Rockwell's  deliverance ;  his  murder  was 
decreed  before  his  arrest ;  and  no  one  of  the  brethren  would 
be  permitted  to  enter  Missouri  to  assist  him  with  advice  or 
bail,  under  penalty  of  death.  And  yet  on  the  15th  day  of 
March  the  Prophet  publicly  declared : 

"  In  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  prophesy  that 
Orrin  P.  Rockwell  will  get  away  honorably  from  the  Mis- 
sourians." 

In  the  same  month  of  Maich,  Joseph,  in  company  with 
Elders  Willard  Richards  and  Wilford  Woodruff,  discovered  in 
the  early  evening  a  stream  of  light  in  the  south-west  quarter 
of  the  heavens.  Its  rays  were  in  the  form  of  a  broad  sword 
with  the  hilt  downward;  the  blade  was  raised,  pointing  from 
the  west  to  the  south-west,  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees, 
and  extended  nearly  to  the  zenith.  As  they  beheld  this  mar- 
vel in  the  sky  Joseph  said : 

"  As  sure  as  there  is  a  God  who  sits  enthroned  in  the 
heavens,  and  as  sure  as  He  ever  spoke  by  me,  so  sure  will 
there  be  a  bloody  war;  and  the  flaming  sword  in  the  heavens 
is  the  certain  sign  thereof." 

Two  or  three  weeks  later,  he  prophesied  in  the  presence 
of  Elder  Orson  Hyde  and  others  that  a  struggle  in  which 
much  blood  would  flow  would  begin  in  South  Carolina,  and 
would  probably  arise  through  the  slave  question.  This  was  a 
repetition  of  the  revelation  which  he  had  received  and 
announced  more  than  ten  years  earlier. 

A  delegation  of  young  men  from  New  York  came  to  see 
Joseph  at  Nauvoo  in  February,  1843,  and  with  great  respect 
solicited  his  views  concerning  Millerism  and  the  coming  of 
Christ,  and  the  day  of  judgment,  which  Miller  had  fixed  for 
April  3rd,  1843.  The  Prophet  warned  them  that  Miller  was 
in  error;  that  before  Christ  should  come  the  prophecies  must 
all  be  fulfilled,  the  sun  be  darkened  and  the  moon  turned  to 
blood.  A  Chicago  paper  of  that  time  published  a  certificate 
of  one  Hyrum  Reading,  of  Ogle  County,  Illinois,  stating  that 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  403 

he  had  seen  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  Man;  and  the  editor  of 
the  paper  declares  that  now  Joseph  Smith  has  met  his  match. 
The  Prophet  responded  that  Mr.  Reading  had  not  seen  the 
sign  of  the  Son  of  Man  as  foretold  by  Jesus,  neither  has  any 
man  nor  will  any  man,  until  after  the  fulfillment  of  the  proph- 
ecies; and  he  declared: 

"Hear  this,  oh  earth!  the  Lord  will  not  come  to  reign 
over  the  righteous  in  this  world  in  1843,  nor  until  everything 
for  the  bridegroom  is  ready." 

Joseph  was  once  praying  very  earnestly  to  know  the  time 
of  the  coming  of  the  Savior,  when  he  heard  a  voice  saying : 

"Joseph,  iny  son,  if  thou  livest  until  thou  art  eighty-five  years  old,  thou 
shalt  see  the  face  of  the  Son  of  Man .  Therefore  let  this  suffice  and  trouble 
me  no  more." 

In  recording  this  divine  utterance,  the  Prophet  says  that 
he  was  left  thus  without  being  able  to  decide  whether  this 
coming  referred  to  the  Millennium  or  to  some  previous  appear- 
ing, or  whether  he  should  die  and  thus  see  the  face  of  Christ. 
Joseph  would  have  been  eighty-five  years  old  on  the  23rd  day 
of  December,  1890;  and  he  says  : 

"I  believe  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  will  not  be  any 
sooner  than  that  time." 

The  question  was  proposed  at  a  lyceum  which  Joseph 
attended  whether  the  kingdom  of  God  was  set  up  before  the 
day  of  Pentecost  or  not  till  then?  The  Prophet's  answer  was 
recorded  at  some  length  by  Apostle  Wilford  Woodruff  from 
whose  synopsis  the  following  paragraphs  are  taken  : 

"  Some  say  the  kingdom  of  God  was  not  set  up  until  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  and  that  John  did  not  preach  the  baptism  of 
repentance  for  the  remission  of  sins;  but  I  say,  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  was  set  up  on  the  earth 
from  the  days  of  Adam  to  the  present  time. 

"  Whenever  there  has  been  a  righteous  man  on  earth  unto 
whom  God  revealed  His  word  and  gave  power  and  authority 
to  administer  in  His  name,  and  where  there  is  a  priest  of  God 
— a  minister  who  has  power  and  authority  from  God  to  admin- 
ister in  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  and  officiate  in  the  Priest- 
hood of  God,  there  is  the  kingdom  of  God ;  and.  in  conse- 
quence of  rejecting  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Prophets 


404  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

whom  God  has  sent,  the  judgments  of  God  have  rested  upon 
people,  cities  and  nations,  in  various  ages  of  the  world,  which 
was  the  case  with  the  cities  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  which 
were  destroyed  for  rejecting  the  prophets. 

"Now  I  will  give  my  testimony.  I  care  not  for  man.  I 
speak  boldly  and  faithfully,  and  with  authority.  How  is  it 
with  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  Where  did  the  kingdom  of  God 
begin?  Where  there  is  no  kingdom  of  God,  there  is  no  salva- 
tion. What  constitutes  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  Where  there 
is  a  prophet,  a  priest,  or  a  righteous  man  unto  whom  God 
gives  His  oracles,  there  is  the  kingdom  of  God;  and  where 
the  oracles  of  God  are  not,  there  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  not. 

"In  these  remarks,  I  have  no  allusion  to  the  kingdoms  of 
the  earth.  We  will  keep  the  laws  of  the  land;  we  do  not 
speak  against  them;  we  never  have  spoken  against  them; 
though  we  can  scarcely  mention  the  state  of  Missouri  and  our 
persecutions  there,  but  that  the  cry  goes  forth  that  we  are 
guilty  of  treason,  which  is  false.  We  speak  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  on  the  earth;  not  the  kingdoms  of  men." 

These  emphatic  statements  show  the  loyal  position  which 
the  Prophet  maintained  toward  his  country,  and  the  view  he 
had  concerning  governments  in  general. 

The  Prophet  gave  his  brethren  three  grand  keys  whereby 
to  know  whether  any  supernatural  visitor  was  from  God  or 
from  Satan. 

When  a  messenger  comes  saying  he  has  a  message  from 
God,  offer  him  your  hand,  and  request  him  to  shake  hands 
with  you.  If  he  be  an  angel,  he  will  do  so,  and  you  will  feel 
his  hand.  If  he  be  the  spirit  of  a  just  man  made  perfect,  he 
will  come  in  his  glory;  for  that  is  the  only  way  he  can  appear. 
Ask  him  to  shake  hands  with  you,  but  he  will  not  move, 
because  it  is  contrary  to  the  order  of  heaven  for  a  just  man  to 
deceive ;  but  he  will  still  deliver  his  message.  If  it  be  the 
devil  as  an  angel  of  light,  when  you  ask  him  to  shake  hands, 
he  will  offer  you  his  hand,  and  you  will  not  feel  anything:  you 
may  therefore  detect  him. 

In  the  midst  of  these  exalted  labors,  Joseph  took  great 
delight  in  mingling  with  the  brethren  in  manly  sports.  On 
Saturday,  the  28th  day  of  January,  1843,  he  played  a  fine 
game  of  ball  at  Nauvoo  with  his  brethren.  Daring  the  same 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  405 

winter  some  of  his  friends  saw  him  teaching  his  little  son 
Frederick  to  slide  upon  the  ice;  and  the  Prophet  enjoyed  the 
exhilaration  and  was  as  merry  as  a  boy.  On  Monday,  the 
13th  day  of  March,  1843,  Joseph  met  William  Wall,  the  most 
expert  wrestler  of  Ramus,  Illinois,  and  had  a  friendly  bout 
with  him.  He  easily  conquered  Wall  who  up  to  that  time 
had  been  a  champion.  About  the  same  time  he  had  a  contest 
at  pulling  sticks  with  Justus  A.  Morse,  reputed  to  be  the 
strongest  man  in  that  region.  The  Prophet  used  but  one 
hand  and  easily  defeated  Morse. 

One  evening  in  March,  twenty-seven  children  were  brought 
to  a  meeting  to  be  blessed.  Joseph  took  great  joy  in  laying 
his  hands  upon  the  heads  of  these  innocent  little  ones,  and 
he  blessed  nineteen  of  them  himself  with  great  fervency.  He 
turned  pale  and  lost  his  strength,  and  was  compelled  to  retire, 
leaving  the  meeting  and  its  duties  to  his  brethren.  Elder 
Jedediah  M.  Grant  inquired  of  him  the  next  day  concerning 
the  cause  of  the  strange  manifestation.  The  Prophet  replied 
that  as  he  blessed  the  little  ones,  it  was  made  known  to  him 
that  Lucifer  would  exert  an  influence  to  destroy  them,  and  he 
strove  with  all  his  faith  to  seal  upon  them  security  of  their 
lives  and  virtue  upon  earth.  So  much  power  emanated  from 
him  into  the  children  that  he  became  weak.  Joseph  referred 
to  the  case  of  the  woman  who  touched  the  hem  of  the  gar- 
ment of  Jesus,  by  which  her  issue  of  blood  was  staunched, 
and  the  Savior  said:  "Somebody  hath  touched  me;  for  I 
perceive  that  virtue  has  gone  out  of  me." 

Joseph  told  Elder  Grant  that,  the  virtue  referred  to  by  the 
Savior  was  the  spirit  of  life ;  and  men  who  exercised  great 
faith  in  administering  to  the  sick,  blessing  little  children,  and 
making  confirmations  were  liable  to  become  weakened. 

On  Monday,  the  6th  day  of  February,  1843,  the  Prophet 
was  elected  mayor  of  Kauvoo  by  unanimous  vote;  at  the  same 
time  Orson  Spencer,  Daniel  H.  Wells,  George  A.  Smith  and 
Stephen  Markham  were  elected  aldermen;  and  Hyrum  Smith, 
John  Taylor,  Orson  Hyde,  Orson  Pratt,  Sylvester  Emmons, 
Heber  C.  Kimball,  Benjamin  Warrington,  Daniel  Spencer 
and  Brigham  Young  were  elected  councillors. 


406  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Joseph  put  his  accustomed  vigor  into  his  duties  as  chief 
officer  of  the  municipality.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the 
council  after  the  election  Joseph  urged  the  necessity  of  reliev- 
ing the  city  of  unnecessary  expenses  and  burdens,  and 
warned  the  members  against  demanding  pay  for  every  little 
service  rendered.  At  the  same  meeting  it  was  resolved  to 
establish  markets  in  the  city ;  and  the  Prophet  spoke  earnestly 
about  the  regulation  of  prices,  so  that  the  poor  should  not  be 
oppressed;  that,  while  the  farmer  should  have  fair  compen- 
sation for  his  products,  the  mechanic  should  also  have  justice 
in  purchasing  the  necessaries  of  life. 

If  the  principles  of  official  integrity  and  economy,  and 
the  principles  of  fair  dealing  and  mutual  protection  between 
producers  and  dealers,  which  the  Prophet  taught  at  this  time 
could  have  general  acceptance  and  obedience  throughout  the 
world,  what  a  wonderful  stride  would  be  taken  toward  the 
social  redemption  of  the  human  race !  Politics  would  be 
purified — for  only  men  of  integrity  and  nobility  of  character 
could  or  would  hold  office.  Pauperism,  that  fruitful  source  of 
crime,  would  be  practically  unknown.  Public  economy  and 
private  prosperity  would  go  hand  in  hand. 

On  the  2nd  day  of  March,  1843,  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives of  the  Illinois  Legislature  took  up  a  bill  to  repeal  a 
part  of  the  Nauvoo  city  charter.  There  was  a  determination 
on  the  part  of  the  majority  to  push  the  bill  to  its  passage ; 
and  all  the  protests  of  a  few  fair-minded  and  courageous  men 
availed  nothing.  Representative  Thomas  B.  Owen  compared 
the  charter  of  Nauvoo  with  those  of  other  cities  and  showed 
that  this  bill  proposed  to  repeal  the  same  powers  in  the 
Nauvoo  charter  which  existed  in  every  other  charter  in  the 
state.  He  declared  positively  of  his  own  knowledge  that 
good  order  and  industry  characterized  the  "Mormons,"  and 
he  made  no  doubt  that  they  were  much  abused.  He  pro- 
tested against  such  a  malicious  and  contemptible  course  of 
cowardice  as  that  which  was  proposed.  Next  day  the  bill  was 
put  upon  its  passage;  and  William  Smith  of  Nauvoo,  who 
was  a  representative  in  the  Assembly,  moved  an  amendment 
to  the  title  of  the  measure  so  that  it  would  read — "A  bill  for 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  407 

an  act  to  humbug  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo."  The  motion 
created  great  sensation,  in  the  midst  of  which  William 
declared  that  he  considered  the  amendment  perfectly  described 
the  contents  of  the  bill,  and  he  was  anxious  that  things 
should  be  called  by  their  right  names.  Naturally  the  chair 
decided  that  such  an  amendment,  "not  being  respectful,"  was 
not  in  order,  and  the  bill  with  its  original  title  was  then 
passed.  On  the  4th  of  March  the  Senate  considered  this  same 
measure  and  refused  to  pass  it. 

Hyrum  brought  information  to  the  mayor  on  the  evening 
of  the  25th  of  March,  1843,  upon  which  Joseph  issued  a 
proclamation  as  follows : 

".Whereas  it  is  reported  that  there  now  exists  a  band  of 
desperadoes,  bound  by  oaths  of  secrecy,  under  severe  penalties 
in  case  any  member  of  the  combination  divulges  their  plans 
of  stealing  and  conveying  properties  from  station  to  station, 
up  and  down  the  Mississippi  and  other  routes  :  And 

"  Whereas  it  is  reported  that  the  fear  of  the  execution  of 
the  pains  and  penalties  of  their  secret  oath  on  their  persons 
prevents  some  members  of  said  secret  association  (who  have, 
through  falsehood  and  deceit,  been  drawn  into  their  snares,) 
from  divulging  the  same  to  the  legally-constituted  authorities 
of  the  land: 

"Know  ye,  therefore,  that  I,  Joseph  Smith,  Mayor  of  the 
city  of  Nauvoo,  will  grant  and  insure  protection  against  all 
personal  mob  violence  to  each  and  every  citizen  of  this  city 
who  will  come  before  me  and  truly  make  known  the  names  of 
all  such  abominable  characters  as  are  engaged  in  said  secret 
combination  for  stealing,  or  are  accessory  thereto,  in  any  man- 
ner. And  I  respectfully  solicit  the  co-operation  of  all  minis- 
ters of  justice  in  this  and  the  neighboring  states  to  ferret  out 
a  band  of  thievish  outlaws  from  our  midst." 

Joseph  was  determined  to  protect  E"auvoo  from  plun- 
derers without,  and  from  thieves  within;  and  this  determi- 
nation expressed  in  the  document  just  quoted  was  so  vigor- 
ously enforced  that  the  bad  elements,  in  self  protection, 
combined  against  him.  This  league  was  one  of  the  factors  in 
the  culminating  persecutions  of  his  life. 

In  the  beginning  of  April  the  Prophet  went  to  Eamus 
accompanied  by  Apostle  Orson  Hyde  and  William  Clayton, 


408  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

to    preach  to    the   Saints    there.     Among    many    important 
utterances  contained  in  his  sermons  of  that  time  are  these : 

"  When  the  Savior  shall  appear,  we  shall  see  Him  as  he  is. 
We  shall  see  that  He  is  a  man  like  ourselves;  and  that  same 
sociality  which  exists  among  us  here  will  exist  among  us  there, 
only  it  will  be  coupled  with  eternal  glory,  which  glory  we  do 
not  now  enjoy.  (John  xiv.  2,  3.)  The  appearing  of  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  in  that  verse,  is  a  personal  appearance;  and  the 
idea  that  the  Father  and  the  Son  dwell  in  a  man's  heart  is  an 
old  sectarian  notion,  and  is  false. 

"  In  answer  to  the  question,  *  Is  not  the  reckoning  of  God's 
time,  angel's  time,  prophet's  time,  and  man's  time  according 
to  the  planet  on  which  they  reside?'  I  answer,  yes.  But 
there  are  no  angels  who  minister  to  this  earth  but  those  who 
do  belong  or  have  belonged  to  it.  The  angels  do  not  reside  on 
a  planet  like  this  earth;  but  they  reside  in  the  presence  of 
God,  on  a  globe  like  a  sea  of  glass  and  fire,  where  all  things 
for  their  glory  are  manifest — past,  present  and  future,  and  are 
continually  before  the  Lord.  The  place  where  God  resides  is 
a  great  Urim  and  Thummim.  This  earth,  in  its  sanctified  and 
immortal  state,  will  be  made  like  unto  crystal  and  will  be  a 
Urim  and  Thummim  to  the  inhabitants  who  dwell  thereon, 
whereby  all  things  pertaining  to  an  inferior  kingdom,  or  all 
kingdoms  ol  a  lower  order,  will  be  manifest  to  those  who 
dwell  on  it;  and  this  earth  will  be  Christ's.  Then  the  white 
stone  mentioned  in  Revelations  ii.  17,  will  become  a  Urim  and 
Thummim  to  each  individual  who  receives  one,  whereby  things 
pertaining  to  a  higher  order  of  kingdoms,  even  all  kingdoms, 
will  be  made  known ;  and  a  white  stone  is  given  to  each  of 
those  who  come  into  the  celestial  kingdom,  whereon  is  a  new 
name  written,  which  no  man  knoweth  save  he  that  receiveth 
it.  The  new  name  is  the  key  word." 

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

"Whatever  principle  of  intelligence  we  attain  unto  in 
this  life,  it  will  rise  with  us  in  the  resurrection;  and  if  a  per- 
son gains  more  knowledge  and  intelligence  in  this  life  through 
his  diligence  and  obedience  than  another,  he  will  have  so  much 
the  advantage  in  the  world  to  come.  There  is  a  law,  irrevoca- 
bly decreed  in  heaven  before  the  foundations  of  this  world, 
upon  which  all  blessings  are  predicated;  and  when  we  obtain 
any  blessing  from  God,  it  is  by  obedience  to  that  law  upon 
which  it  is  predicated. 

"  The  Father  has  a  body  of  flesh  and  bones  as  tangible  as 
man's ;  the  Son  also :  but  the  Holy  Ghost  has  not  a  body  of 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  409 

flesh  and  bones,  but  is  a  personage  of  spirit.  Were  it  not  so, 
the  Holy  Ghost  could  not  dwell  in  us.  A  man  may  receive 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  it  may  descend  upon  him  and  not  tarry 
with  him." 

In  May,  while  returning  through  Carthage  from  his 
mission  to  Ramus,  Joseph  dined  with  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
who  was  there  holding  court.  After  dinner  the  Prophet  at 
the  request  of  Douglas,  gave  a  minute  history  of  the  persecu- 
tions of  the  Saints  in  Missouri.  The  judge  listened  attentively 
and  pronounced  unstinted  condemnation  upon  the  conduct  of 
Boggs  and  the  other  mobocrats  of  Missouri,  and  declared  that 
they  ought  to  be  punished.  Joseph  concluded  by  saying  that 
this  wholesale  plunder  and  extermination  was  a  foul  and 
corroding  blot  upon  the  fair  fame  of  the  Republic,  the  very 
thought  of  which  would  have  caused  the  patriotic  framers  ot 
the  constitution  to  hide  their  faces  in  sorrow  and  shame.  He 
prophesied  to  Douglas : 

"  Judge,  you  will  aspire  to  th'e  presidency  of  the  United 
States,  and  if  you  ever  turn  your  hand  against  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  you  will  feel  the  weight  of  the  hand  of  the  Almighty 
upon  you ;  and  you  will  live  to  see  and  know  that  I  have  testi- 
fied the  truth  to  you,  for  the  conversation  of  this  day  will  be 
with  you  through  life." 

These  words  of  the  Prophet  to  Judge  Douglas  have  been 
fulfilled  to  the  very  letter.  Douglas  did  aspire  to  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  United  States;  he  did  use  his  influence  against 
the  Latter-day  Saints  thinking  he  could  gain  popularity  by  so 
doing;  and  he  miserably  failed.  He  was  deserted  by  his  own 
friends,  and  died  a  disappointed  man. 

Commencing  on  the  first  day  of  the  fourteenth  year  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  a  special 
conference  was  held  on  the  floor  of  the  temple  at  Nauvoo. 
In  presenting  the  authorities  of  the  Church  the  Prophet  asked 
the  people  if  they  were  satisfied  with  the  First  Presidency. 
"If,"  said  he,  "I  have  done  anything  to  injure  my  standing  or 
dishonor  our  religion  in  the  sight  of  angels,  or  men,  or  women 
I  am  sorry  for  it.  I  do  not  know  that  I  have  done  anything 
of  the  kind.  But  if  I  have,  come  forward  and  tell  me  of  it." 


410  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

.  Joseph  wanted  the  Saints  to  feel  that  every  officer  of  the 
Church,  from  the  President  down  to  the  least  in  authority, 
was  responsible  to  the  body  of  the  Saints,  as  well  as  to  God, 
for  his  conduct;  and  thereby  he  established  a  rule  which  was 
of  great  help  at  a  later  time. 

Brigham  Young  made  the  motion  to  sustain  Joseph 
Smith  as  President  of  the  whole  Church,  and  one  vast  sea  of 
hands  was  presented,  carrying  the  motion  unanimously. 

At  this  conference  Apostle  Orson  Pratt  remarked  that  a 
man's  body  changes  every  seven  years ;  and  Joseph  replied : 

"  There  is  no  fundamental  principle  belonging  to  a  human 
system  that  ever  goes  into  another  in  this  world  or  in  the 
world  to  come :  I  care  not  what  the  theories  of  men  are.  We 
have  the  testimony  that  God  will  raise  us  up,  and  He  has  the 
power  to  do  it.  If  any  one  supposes  that  any  part  of  our 
bodies,  that  is,  the  fundamental  parts  thereof,  ever  goes  into 
another  body,  he  is  mistaken."  ***** 

A  special  conference  of  the  Elders  was  convened  on  the 
10th  of  April,  1843,  to  ordain  missionaries  to  go  forth  into 
the  vineyards  and  build  up  churches;  and  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  appointments  were  made  by  the  united  voice  of  the 
conference. 

On  the  12th  of  April  two  large  parties  of  Saints  landed 
at  Nauvoo  under  the  charge  of  Elders  Lorenzo  Snow,  Parley 
P.  Pratt  and  Levi  Richards.  On  the  day  following,  the  emi- 
grants and  a  great  multitude  of  others  assembled  at  the 
temple  to  listen  to  an  address  from  the  Prophet  to  the  new 
comers.  He  advised  them  concerning  their  temporal  welfare, 
their  means  of  life ;  and  pronounced  the  blessings  of  heaven 
and  earth  upon  them,  inasmuch  as  they  should  keep  the 
commandments  of  God. 

The  lull  in  the  active  persecution  against  the  Prophet 
was  soon  at  an  end.  His  enemies  never  for  an  instant  contem- 
plated the  relinquishment  of  their  purpose  to  carry  him  into 
Missouri  to  be  assassinated.  Threats  came  to  him  from  time 
to  time,  the  low  mutterings  which  precede  the  crash  of  a 
thunder  bolt.  He  applied  to  the  governor  of  Iowa  to  recall 
the  writs  issued  against  him  upon  requisitions  from  Missouri, 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  411 

so  that  he  might  visit  the  Saints  in  Zarahemla,  basing,  his 
request  upon  the  action  taken  by  Judge  Pope  at  Springfield, 
which  substantiated  the  illegality  of  Missouri's  demand.  But 
his  request  was  in  vain,  and  he  was  obliged  to  risk  his  liberty 
and  his  life  whenever  duty  called  him  to  the  Iowa  side  of  the 
river. 


CHAPTER  LVL 

THE  CELESTIAL  ORDER  OF  MARRIAGE — ETERNITY  AND  PLURALITY 
OF  THE  COVENANT — THE  REVELATION  WRITTEN  AND  DELIV- 
ERED TO  THE  HIGH  COUNCIL — JOSEPH,  HYRUM  AND  OTHERS 
OBEY  IT. 

EVERY  woman  has  the  right  to  virtuous  wifehood  and  matern- 
ity. This  was  the  Omnipotent  design  in  her  creation.  Yet 
how  shall  it  be  fulfilled  under  modern  systems  ?  Clearly,  the 
Creator  can  make  known. 

"When  they  are  out  of  the  world,  they  neither  marry 
nor  are  given  in  marriage,"  saith  the  revelation ;  therefore  the 
ties  of  conjugal  relation  must  be  made  here,  and  to  endure 
beyond  the  gates  of  death  they  must  be  fixed  by  an  eternal 
covenant  with  the  divine  sanction. 

Joseph  Smith's  mission  was  all-comprehending.  From  the 
Church  organization,  it  expanded  until  it  made  known  a  code 
of  moral  law  by  which  the  modern  world,  under  the  light  of 
Christian  truth,  may  achieve  social  redemption  and  be  forever 
purified. 

The  decree  of  the  Lord  making  known  to  the  Prophet  the 
eternity  and  plurality  of  marriage,  was  a  part  of  this  sublime 
plan.  It  came  to  him  little  by  little,  as  he  was  enabled  to  bear 
the  dazzling  light  of  celestial  glory;  and  when  eventually  the 
full  view  of  the  holy  order  was  permitted  to  him,  he  saw  the 


412  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

principles  of  eternal  progression,  the  laws  by  which  the  uni- 
verse is  filled  with  shining  and  inhabited  spheres  to  make  the 
infinite  glory  of  our  God.  The  exaltation  of  these  visions 
was  all  that  mortal  man  could  bear;  and  the  Prophet  felt  that 
the  dull,  selfish  world  would  refuse  to  understand  the  purity 
and  promise,  would  refuse  to  undergo  the  earthly  trials  to 
secure  the  heavenly  blessing,  and  would  seek  the  death  of 
such  humble  disciples  of  the  Savior  as  should  embrace  this 
principle  of  eternal  life.' 

Even  after  that  portion  of  the  revelation  now  recorded  in 
the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  was  made  known  to  him,  Joseph 
did  not  write  it  for  a  time;  although  he  obeyed  its  commands 
and  taught  it  to  Hyrum  and  other  faithful  men,  who,  in  prayer 
and  humility  before  God,  accepted  and  fulfilled  its  require- 
ments. 

The  revelation  therefore  remained  the  unwritten  law  of 
God,  established  in  the  hearts  and  obeyed  in  the  lives  of  some 
of  His  faithful  servants,  until  the  12th  day  of  July,  1843,  when 
it  was  recorded,  that  it  might  remain  a  comfort  and  guide  to 
the  people  after  Joseph  and  Hyrum  should  pass  away.  On 
that  day,  under  the  Prophet's  dictation,  and  in  the  presence 
of  Hyrum,  the  revelation  was  written  by  William  Clayton.  A 
copy  of  it  was  taken  the  next  day  by  Joseph  C.  Kingsbury  for 
Bishop  Newel  K.  Whitney. 

On  the  12th  day  of  August,  1843,  the  revelation  was  read 
before  the  high  council  and  Presidency  of  the  Stake  at  Nau- 
voo.  There  were  present  Hyrum  Smith,  who  presented  the 
principle;  William  Marks,  Charles  C.  Rich  and  Austin  Cowles, 
the  Stake  Presidency;  and  Samuel  Bent,  William  Hunting- 
ton,  Alpheus  Cutler,  Thomas  Grover,  Lewis  D.  Wilson,  David 
Fullmer,  Aaron  Johnson,  Newel  Knight,  Leonard  Sobey, 
Isaac  Allred,  Henry  G.  Sherwood  and  Samuel  Smith,  the  high 
council. 

After  reading  the  revelation,  Hyrum  promised  his  breth- 
ren that  they  who  accepted  it  should  be  blessed  and  sustained 
in  the  Church  by  the  Spirit  of  God  and  the  confidence  of  the 
Saints,  and  they  who  rejected  it  should  fall  away  in  their  faith 
and  power;  and  it  was  even  so. 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  41& 

To  promulgate  this  commandment  and  to  obey  it  was 
probably  the  Prophet's  greatest  earthly  trial.  Emma  did  not 
at  first  accept  it :  but  later  she  became  convinced  of  its  truth 
arid  gave  good  women  to  her  husband  to  wife  as  Sarah  of  old 
administered  to  Abraham. 

Some  of  the  Prophet's  brethren  caused  him  great  sorrow 
by  teaching  impurity  of  life  under  the  guise  of  this  holy  prin- 
ciple; but  their  wickedness  was  uncovered  and  the  Church 
was  purged  of  their  presence. 

The  teaching  of  the  revelation  has  been  a  test  of  personal 
holiness.  The  men  who  have  seen  in  this  commandment  a 
holy  and  exalted  duty  and  who  obeyed  in  meekness  and  pur- 
ity, have  lived  by  their  faith  and  have  come  off  triumphant; 
while  those  who  have  sought  to  minister  to  evil  passions  have 
sunk  and  been  cast  out. 

There  is  not  one  word  in  the  revelation,  nor  was  there 
one  word  in  the  Prophet's  teaching  other  than  purity  and  self 
sacrifice. 

The  Lord  said  : 


11 1  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  I  give  unto  you  this  commandment,  that 
no  man  shall  come  unto  the  Father  but  by  me,  or  by  my  word,  which  is  my 
law,  saith  the  Lord  ; 

' '  And  everything  that  is  in  the  world,  whether  it  be  ordained  of  men, 
by  thrones,  or  principalities,  or  powers,  or  things  of  name,  whatsoever  they 
may  be,  that  are  not  by  me,  or  by  my  word,  saith  the  Lord,  shall  be  thrown 
down,  and  shall  not  remain  after  men  are  dead,  neither  in  nor  after  the  resur- 
rection, saith  the  Lord  your  God  ; 

"  For  whatsoever  things  remain,  are  by  me  ;  and  whatsoever  things  are 
not  by  me,  shall  be  shaken  and  destroyed. 

1  Therefore,  if  a  man  marry  him  a  wife  in  the  world,  and  he  marry  her 
not  by  me,  nor  by  my  word ;  and  he  covenant  with  her  so  long  as  he  is  in  the 
world,  and  she  with  him,  their  covenant  and  marriage  are  not  offeree  when 
they  arc  dead,  and  when  they  are  out  of  the  world  ;  therefore,  they  are  not 
bound  by  any  law  when  they  are  out  of  the  world  ; 

"Therefore,  when  they  are  out  of  the  world,  they  neither  marry,  nor 
are  given  in  marriage ;  but  are  appointed  angels  in  heaven,  which  angels  are 
ministering  servants,  to  minister  for  those  who  are  worthy  of  a  far  more, 
and  an  exceeding,  and  an  eternal  weight  of  glory ; 

"For  these  angels  did  not  abide  my  law,  therefore  they  cannot  be 
enlarged,  but  remain  separately  and  singly,  without  exaltation,  in  their 


414  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

saved  condition,  to  all  eternity,  and  from  henceforth  are  not  (rods,  but  are 
angels  of  God,  for  ever  and  ever. 

"And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry  a  wife,  and  make  a 
covenant  with  her  for  time  and  for  all  eternity,  if  that  covenant  is  not  by 
me,  or  by  my  word,  which  is  my  law,  and  is  not  sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
promise,  through  him  whom  I  have  anointed  and  appointed  unto  this  power 
— then  it  is  not  valid,  neither  of  force  when  they  are  out  of  the  world, 
because  they  are  not  joined  by  me,  saith  the  Lord,  neither  by  my  word ; 
when  they  are  out  of  the  world,  it  cannot  be  received  there,  because  the 
angels  and  the  Gods  are  appointed  there,  by  whom  they  cannot  pass ;  they 
cannot,  therefore,  inherit  my  glory,  for  my  house  is  a  house  of  order,  saith 
the  Lord  God. 

"  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry  a  wife  by  my  word, 
which  is  my  law,  and  by  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant,  and  it  is  sealed 
unto  them  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  by  him  who  is  anointed,  unto 
whom  I  have  appointed  this  power,  and  the  keys  of  this  Priesthood ;  and  it 
shall  be  said  unto  them,  ye  shall  come  forth  in  the  first  resurrection  ;  and  if 
it  be  after  the  first  resurrection,  in  the  next  resurrection  ;  and  shall  inherit 
thrones,  kingdoms,  principalities,  and  powers,  dominions,  all  heights  and 
depths — then  shall  it  be  written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life,  that  he  shall 
commit  no  murder  whereby  to  shed  innocent  blood,  and  if  ye  abide  in  my  cov- 
enant, and  commit  no  murder  whereby  to  shed  innocent  blood,  it  shall  be  done 
unto  them  in  all  things  whatsoever  my  servant  hath  put  upon  them,  in  time, 
and  through  all  eternity,  and  shall  be  of  full  force  when  they  are  out  of  the 
world  ;  and  they  shall  pass  by  the  angels,  and  the  Gods,  which  are  set 
there,  to  their  exaltation  and  glory  in  all  things,  as  hath  been  sealed  upon 
their  heads,  which  glory  shall  be  a  fullness  and  a  continuation  of  the  seeds 
for  ever  and  ever. 

'  Then  shall  they  be  Gods,  because  they  have  no  end  ;  therefore  shall 
they  be  from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  because  they  continue ;  then  shall 
they  be  above  all,  because  all  things  are  subject  unto  them.  Then  shall 
they  be  Gods,  because  they  have  all  power,  aad  the  angels  are  subject  unto 
them. 

"Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  abide  my  law,  ye  cannot 
attain  to  this  glory  ; 

"  For  strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  the  exalt- 
ation and  continuation  of  the  lives,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it,  because  ye 
receive  me  not  in  the  world,  neither  do  ye  know  me. 

"But  if  ye  receive  me  in  the  world,  then  shall  ye  know  me,  and  shall 
receive  your  exaltation,  that  where  I  am,  ye  shall  be  also. 

"  This  is  eternal  lives,  to  know  the  only  wise  and  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ,  whom  he  hath  sent.  I  am  he.  Receive  ye,  therefore,  my  law. 


"  And  again,  as  pertaining  to  the  law  of  the  Priesthood  :  If  any  man 
espouse  a  virgin,  and  desire  to  espouse  another,  and  the  first  give  her  con- 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  415 

sent ;  and  if  he  espouse  the  second,  and  they  are  virgins,  and  have  vowed  to 
no  other  man,  then  is  he  justified  ;  he  cannot  commit  adultery,  for  they  are 
given  unto  him  ;  for  he  cannot  commit  adultery  with  that  that  belongeth 
unto  him  and  to  no  one  else; 

"  And  now  as  pertaining  to  this  law,  verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  will 
reveal  more  unto  you  hereafter." 


CHAPTER    LVII. 

AN    EVIL    QUARTETTE REYNOLDS,   FORD,  BENNETT    AND    OWENS A 

NEW  WRIT JOSEPH    KIDNAPPED    AT   DIXON  AND    THREATENED 

WITH  DEATH EFFORTS  FOR  RELEASE  ON  "HABEAS  CORPUS" 

A  WRESTLING  MATCH ENTRY  INTO  NAUVOO JOSEPH  RELEASED 

— THE    KIDNAPPERS    ASK    FOR    A    MOB    ARMY INDEPENDENCE 

DAY  AT  NAUVOO. 

A  PITIABLE  yielding  to  murderous  hate  was  exhibited  in  the 
conduct  in  June,  1843,  of  Reynolds  and  Ford,  the  govern- 
ors respectively  of  the  great  states  of  Missouri  and  Illinois. 
The  adviser  of  Reynolds  was  John  C.  Bennett,  the  corrupt 
traitor;  the  adviser  of  Ford  was  Sam  C.  Owens,  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Jackson  mob. 

On  the  13th  day  of  June,  Thomas  Reynolds,  governor  of 
the  state  of  Missouri,  made  a*  requisition  upon  the  state  of 
Illinois  for  the  person  of  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  charged  with 
treason,  on  the  ground  that  he  was  a  fugitive  from  justice. 
To  show  the  close  communion  of  the  quartette,  Reynolds, 
Bennett,  Ford  and  Owens,  it  is  well  to  note  that  Bennett 
and  Owens,  before  any  papers  were  issued,  made  their  boasts 
that  the  governors  of  the  two  states  would  comply  with  their 
demands,  and  that  Joseph  Smith  would  be  delivered  to  death 
at  the  hands  of  his  old  enemies  in  Missouri.  And  on  the  10th 
of  June,  three  days  before  the  requisition  was  issued,  Sam  Owens 
and  John  C.  Bennett  had  informed  Governor  Ford  by  letter 
that  Joseph  Reynolds,  sheriff  of  Jackson  County,  (although 


416  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

the  alleged  offence  of  treason  had  been   committed  in  Daviess 

O 

County)  would  be  appointed  by  Governor  Reynolds  of  Mis- 
souri to  receive  the  person  of  Joseph  Smith  from  the  officials 
of  Illinois;  and  they,  in  the  same  letter,  instructed  Governor 
Ford  to  appoint  Harmon  T.  Wilson  of  Hancock  County,  to 
.serve  the  writ  which  they  demanded  Ford  to  issue.  Their 
reason  for  wanting  Reynolds  of  Jackson  County  is  clear;  he 
was  known  to  be  in  sympathy  with  the  mob  there,  while  the 
officers  of  Daviess  County  might  have  an  abhorrence  of 
murder  and  might  refuse  to  be  so  pliant  as  the  assassins 
desired.  While  their  reason  for  demanding  the  appointment 
of  Harmon  T.  Wilson  was  stated  in  a  letter  to  Ford  by  Sam 
C.  Owens  in  the  following  words : 

"Dr.  Bennett  further  writes  me  that  he  has  made  an 
arrangement  with  Harmon  T.  Wilson,  of  Hancock  County, 
(Carthage,  seat  of  justice,)  in  whose  hands  he  wishes  the  writ 
that  shall  be  issued  by  you  to  be  put." 

The  plan  as  dictated  to  the  governors  by  these  villians 
was  executed. 

On  the  same  day  that  the  governor  of  Missouri  appointed 
Reynolds  to  go  to  Illinois  after  the  person  of  the  Prophet, 
Joseph  started  with  Emma  and  their  children  to  see  her  sister 
Mrs.  Wasson  who  lived  near  Dixon,  Lee  County,  Illinois. 
Five  days  later,  on  the  18th  of  June,  a  message  was  received 
at  Nauvoo  from  Judge  James  Adams,  of  Springfield,  from 
which  it  was  learned  that  Ford  had  issued  the  writ  for  Joseph 
and  that  it  was  on  the  way.  Hyrum  Smith  immediately  sent 
Stephen  Markham  and  William  Clayton  on  horseback, 
William  riding  Joe  Duncan,  to  find  and  warn  the  Prophet. 
These  devoted  men  traveled  two  hundred  and  twelve  miles  in 
sixty-six  hours,  and  found  Joseph  between  the  town  of  Dixon 
and  Wasson's  place.  When  they  told  him  of  the  danger  he 
said: 

"  Do  not  be  alarmed,  I  have  no  fear,  and  shall  not  flee.  I 
will  find  friends  and  the  Missourians  cannot  slay  me,  I  tell 
you  in  the  name  of  Israel's  God." 

Wilson  and  Reynolds  had  disguised  themselves  and  pro- 
posed to  be  "  Mormon"  Elders,  following  Joseph  to  Wasson's. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  417 

On  the  23rd  of  June  they  reached  that  place  while  the  family 
were  at  dinner  and  said:  "We  want  to  see  Brother  Joseph." 

They  seized  him  the  instant  they  found  him  and  presented 
cocked  pistols  to  his  breast,  without  showing  any  writ  or  serv- 
ing any  process.  Joseph  enquired  :  "  What  is  the  meaning  of 
tliis?" 

And  Reynolds  replied :  "  God  damn  you,  be  still,  or  I'll 
shoot  you,  by  God." 

Wilson  joined  in  this  awful  profanity  and  threat,  and  they 
both  struck  the  Prophet  with  their  pistols.  He  only  said : 

"Kill  me  if  you  will,  I  am  not  afraid  to  die;  and  I  have 
endured  so  much  oppression  that  I  am  weary  of  life.  But  I 
am  a  strong  man,  and  I  could  cast  both  of  you  down,  if  I 
would.  If  you  have  any  legal  process  to  serve,  present  it,  for 
I  am  at  all  times  subject  to  law  and  shall  not  offer  resistance." 

At  this  time,  Stephen  Markham  walked  toward  them  and 
the  kidnappers  swore  they  would  kill  him;  but  he  paid  ho 
attention  to  their  threats.  Still  bruising  the  Prophet  with 
their  pistols  and  threatening  every  instant  to  kill  him  if  he 
spoke,  they  dragged  him  to  a  wagon  without,  and  would 
have  driven  away  not  permitting  him  to  say  one  word  to  his 
family  or  to  obtain  his  hat  and  coat,  but  Stephen  Markham 
interposed.  He  boldly  seized  the  horses  by  the  bits,  and 
would  not  let  them  go  until  Emma  could  run  from  the  house 
with  the  Prophet's  clothing. 

Stephen  mounted  a  horse  and  started  to  Dixon  where  the 
kidnappers  also  proceeded  at  full  speed  without  even  allowing 
Joseph  to  speak  to  his  wife  or  little  children.  The  wretches 
had  not  shown  any  writ,  nor  had  they  told  the  Prophet  what 
was  the  charge  against  him.  During  the  whole  journey  of 
eight  miles  to  Dixon  they  continued  to  strike  his  sides  with 
their  pistols  and  to  swear  that  they  would  have  his  life.  So 
brutal  were  their  blows  that  he  almost  fainted,  and  each  side 
was  turned  black  and  blue  for  a  circumference  of  eighteen 
inches. 

At  Dixon  they  thrust  him  into  a  room  at  the  tavern  and 
guarded  him  there,  while  ordering  fresh  horses  to  be  ready  in 
five  minutes.  As  Stephen  Markham  had  raised  an  alarm  at 


27 


418  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

Dixon  and  proposed  to  get  a  lawyer,  Reynolds  once  more 
declared  his  intention  to  shoot  the  Prophet.  Joseph  said: 
"  Why  do  you  make  this  threat  so  often.  If  you  want  to  shoot 
me,  do  so.  I  am  not  afraid." 

The  continued  calmness  and  the  undaunted  heroism  of 
the  Prophet  had  their  effect  upon  his  captors;  and  at  last  they 
desisted  from  their  threats,  although  they  continued  their 
abuse.  ~No  doubt  they  would  have  killed  him  but  they  were 
too  cowardly.  They  wanted  to  get  him  into  Missouri  where 
the  murder  could  be  consummated  without  any  danger  to 
them.  The  lawyers  whom  Stephen  secured  for  the  Prophet 
were  not  permitted  by  Reynolds  and  Wilson  to  consult  their 
client ;  but  the  effect  of  this  high-handed  proceeding  was  to 
arouse  the  indignation  of  the  landlord  and  his  friends.  They 
gathered  around  the  hotel  and  told  Reynolds  that  this  might 
be  the  Missouri  way,  but  it  would  not  do  for  Dixon,  where  the 
people  were  law-abiding  and  would  not  permit -any  man  to  be 
kidnapped  and  dragged  away  without  knowing  the  charge 
against  him  and  without  an  opportunity  for  judicial  examina- 
tion. As  a  large  crowd  had  gathered  by  this  time  and  as  they 
threatened  to  take  summary  action  against  the  brigands,  Rey- 
nolds and  Wilson  concluded  to  permit  a  consultation  with  the 
lawyers.  As  soon  as  he  could  get  speech  with  the  attorneys, 
Joseph  told  them  that  he  had  been  taken  prisoner  without  pro- 
cess, had  been  insulted,  bruised  and  threatened;  and  that  he 
wanted  to  sue  out  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  At  this  Reynolds 
swore  that  he  would  only  wait  half  an  hour.  A  Mr.  Dixon 
who  had  opposed  Reynolds  and  Wilson  in  their  outrageous 
doings,  immediately  sent  messengers  to  the  master  in  chan- 
cery and  to  Lawyer  Walker  to  have  them  come  to  Dixon  to 
get  out  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus. 

The  next  morning  the  writ  was  issued,  returnable  before 
Judge  Caton  of  the  ninth  judicial  circuit  at  Ottowa,  and  duly 
served  upon  Reynolds  and  Wilson. 

Writs  were  also  obtained  against  them  for  threatening 
the  life  of  Stephen  Markham,  for  assaults  upon  Joseph  and 
for  false  imprisonment;  and  these  villains  were  soon  placed  in 
the  custody  of  the  sheriff  of  Lee  County,  whereupon  their 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  419 

demeanor  became  as  craven  as  it  had  before  been  bold  and 
threatening. 

In  the  meantime  Joseph  had  sent  William  Clayton  to 
Nauvoo  to  inform  Hyrum  of  what  was  being  done. 

The  Prophet  still  in  captivity  to  Reynolds  and  Wilson, 
who  in  turn  were  in  custody  of  Sheriff  Campbell,  proceeded 
that  night  .to  Pawpaw  grove,  thirty-two  miles  on  the  road  to 
Ottowa.  Here  Reynolds  and  Wilson  again  began  to  abuse 
their  captive;  but  Campbell  came  to  his  assistance  and  slept 
by  his  side  that  night  to  protect  him  from  further  assault. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  hotel  was  tilled  with  citizens 
who  wanted  to  see  the  Prophet  and  hear  him  preach.  Fear- 
ing the  effect  of  an  address  from  Joseph,  Sheriff  Reynolds 
yelled:  "  I  want  you  to  understand  that  this  man  is  my  legal 
prisoner,  and  you  must  disperse." 

This  was  false.  No  writ  or  other  process  had  been 
served  upon  Joseph,  and  he  was  nobody's  legal  prisoner.  But 
without  waiting  to  discuss  the  legal  question,  an  old  man 
named  David  Town,  who  was  lame  and  carried  a  large  hickory 
walking  stick,  advanced  upon  Reynolds  and  said: 

"You  damned  infernal  puke,  we'll  learn  youtocoine  here 
and  interrupt  gentlemen.  Sit  down  there,  [pointing  to  a  very 
low  chair]  and  sit  still.  Don't  you  open  your  head  till  Gen- 
eral Smith  gets  through  talking.  If  you  never  learned  man- 
ners in  Missouri,  we'll  teach  you  that  gentlemen  are  not  to  be 
imposed  upon  by  a  nigger-driver.  You  cannot  kidnap  men 
here.  There's  a  committee  in  this  grove  that  will  sit  on  your 
case;  and,  sir,  it  is  the  highest  tribunal  in  the  United  States, 
as  from  its  decision  there  is  no  appeal." 

Reynolds  was  made  aware  that  Mr.  Town  was  the  head 
of  a  committee,  just  then  assembled  to  deal  with  some  land 
speculators  who  had  attempted  to  impose  upon  honest  settlers, 
and  he  obeyed  with  great  meekness. 

The  Prophet  talked  an  hour  and  a  half  on  the  subject  of 
marriage,  which  was  the  topic  selected  for  him  by  his  congre- 
gation. From  that  hour  on  his  freedom  commenced.' 

Learning  at  Pawpaw  grove  that  Judge  Caton  was  absent 
in  New  York  the  party  turned  back  to  Dixon,  arriving  there 
about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  June  25th.  A  return 


420  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was  made  to  the  master  in  chan- 
cery, with  the  endorsement  that  the  judge  was  absent;  where- 
upon a  new  writ  was  issued,  returnable  before  the  nearest  tri- 
bunal in  the  fifth  judicial  district  authorized  to  hear  and  deter- 
mine writs  of  habeas  corpus,  and  Mr.  Campbell,  the  sheriff  of 
Lee  County,  at  once  served  it  upon  Wilson  and  Reynolds. 
Arrangements  were  then  made  to  go  before  Judge  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  at  Quincy,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  miles; 
and  in  the  meantime,  anticipating  treachery,  Stephen  Mark- 
ham  started  with  a  letter  to  the  Prophet's  friends  informing 
them  further  of  his  movements.  This  action  was  deemed  nec- 
essary; for  the  whole  country  seemed  to  be  swarming  with  men 
anxious  to  carry  Joseph  into  Missouri,  where,  according  to 
the  free  boasts  of  Reynolds,  Wilson  and  others,  his  death  was 
certain. 

The  party  in  charge  of  the  Prophet  proceeded  toward 
Quincy.  On  Tuesday,  the  27th  of  June,  shortly  after  crossing 
Fox  River,  they  met  seven  of  the  Prophet's  friends.  The 
brethren  burst  into  tears  at  sight  of  Joseph;  and  as  they 
embraced  him  he  spoke  to  his  captors  who,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, had  not  yet  shown  any  writ  or  other  process  and  were 
therefore  kidnappers : 

"  I  think  I  will  not  go  to  Missouri  this  time,  gentlemen. 
These  are  my  boys." 

Then  he  mounted  his  favorite  horse  Joe  Duncan;  and  the 
entire  company  proceeded  to  a  farm  house  and  made  a  halt. 
This  party  of  the  Prophet's  friends  was  under  the  leadership 
of  Thomas  Grover,  and  from  them  it  was  learned  that  Elders 
Charles  C.  Rich  and  Wilson  Law  with  other  and  larger  parties 
were  seeking  the  Prophet  to  prevent  his  murder  and  abduc- 
tion. 

Reynolds  and  Wilson  shook  with  fear.     Peter  W.  Cow- 
nover,  one  of  the  Prophet's  friends,  said  to  Wilson:  "  Whati& 
the  matter  with  you?     Have  you  got  the  ague?" 
Wilson  managed  to  stammer,  "  No." 
Reynolds  asked:  "  Is  Jem  Flack  in  the  crowd?" 
Some  one  answered :  "  He  is  not  now,  but  you  will  see 
him  to-morrow  about  this  time." 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  421 

"  Then,"  said  Reynolds,  "I  am  a  dead  man;  for  I  know 
him  of  old." 

Cowriover  told  the  foolish  fellow  not  to  be  frightened,  for 
no  one  intended  to  injure  him. 

Stephen  Markham  had  turned  back  when  he  met  this 
party  and  was  with  them.  He  walked  up  to  Reynolds  and 
offered  his  hand,  when  the  bandit  cried  out:  "Do  you  meet 
me  as  a  friend?  I  expected  to  be  a  dead  man  when  I  met  you 
again." 

Markham  replied:  "We  are  friends,  except  in  law;  that 
must  have  its  course." 

At  Andover  that  night  Reynolds  and  Wilson  gathered  a 
party  and  held  a  consultation.  They  intended  to  raise  a  com- 
pany, take  the  Prophet  by  force,  escape  from  their  own  arrest, 
and  run  with  him  to  the  mouth  of  Rock  River,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, where  they  said  they  had  a  company  of  men  all  ready  to 
drag  him  into  Missouri  and  wreak  vengeance  upon  him.  But 
for  Stephen  Markham's  vigilance  they  would  have  executed 
this  plan,  but  he  foiled  them  by  putting  the  sheriff  of  Lee 
County  on  his  guard. 

On  Wednesday,  the  28th  of  June,  they  encamped  in  a 
little  grove  at  the  head  of  Elleston  Creek.  While  the  animals 
were  feeding,  Reynolds  said:  "No,  we  will  go  from  hereto 
the  mouth  of  Rock  River  and  take  steamboat  to  Quincy." 

Markham  replied:  "No;  for  we  are  prepared  to  travel 
and  will  go  by  land." 

Wilson  and  Reynolds  both  yelled  out:  "No,  by  God,  we 
won't;  we  will  never  go  by  Nauvoo  alive." 

Both  drew  their  pistols  upon  Markham,  who  turned  to 
Sheriff  Campbell  saying:  "When  these  men  took  Joseph  a 
prisoner,  they  took  even  his  pocket  knife.  They  are  now 
prisoners  of  yours  and  I  demand  that  their  arms  be  seized." 

Reynolds  and  Wilson  refused  to  yield  their  weapons;  but 
when  the  sheriff  threatened  to  call  for  assistance,  they  sub- 
mitted. 

While  on  this  journey  and  resting  in  a  little  grove  of  tim- 
ber where  the  ground  was  well  sodded,  one  of  the  lawyers  for 
Reynolds  and  Wilson  began  to  boast  of  his  prowess  as  a  wrest- 


422  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

ler.  He  offered  to  wager  any  sum  that  he  could  throw  any 
man  in  the  state  of  Illinois  at  side-hold.  Stephen  Markham, 
a  side-hold  wrestler,  told  the  lawyer  that  he  would  not  contest 
for  money  but  would  try  a  hout  for  fun.  They  grappled,  and 
the  man  threw  Markham,  when  a  great  shout  arose  from  Jos- 
eph's enemies,  and  they  began  to  taunt  the  Prophet  and  his 
friends. 

Joseph  turned  to  Brother  Philemon  C.  Merrill,  a  young 
man  from  Nauvoo,  subsequently  adjutant  in  the  Mormon  Bat- 
talion, and  now  a  resident  of  St.  David,  Arizona,  and  said: 
"  Get  up  and  throw  that  man." 

Merrill  was  about  to  say  that  side-hold  was  not  his  game; 
but  before  he  could  speak  the  Prophet  commanded  him  in  such 
a  way  that  his  tongue  was  silenced.  He  arose  to  his  feet  filled 
with  the  strength  of  a  Samson.  Merrill  lifted  his  arms  and 
said  to  the  lawyer:  "Take  your  choice  of  sides." 

The  man  took  the  left  side  with  his  right  arm  under; 
when  the  company  all  declared  that  this  was  not  fair  as  he  had 
a  double  advantage.  Merrill  felt  such  confidence  in  the  word 
of  the  Prophet  that  it  made  no  difference  to  him  how  much 
advantage  his  opponent  took,  and  he  allowed  the  hold.  As 
they  grappled  Joseph  said :  "Philemon,  when  I  count  three, 
throw  him!" 

On  the  instant  after  the  word  dropped  from  Joseph's  lips, 
Merrill,  with  the  strength  of  a  giant,  threw  the  lawyer  over 
his  left  shoulder,  and  he  fell  striking  his  head  upon  the  earth. 

Awe  fell  upon  the  opponents  of  the  Prophet  when  they 
saw  this,  and  there  were  no  more  challenges  to  wrestle  during 
the  journey. 

While  they  were  lodged  at  a  farm  house  near  Monmouth 
one  night  Reynolds  and  Wilson  again  plotted  to  raise  a  mob 
and  seize  Joseph;  but  Peter  Cownover  detected  them,  and 
Sheriff  Campbell  put  them  under  restraint,  feeling  that  they 
were  no  longer  to  be  trusted.  On  Thursday,  the  29th  of  June, 
another  party  of  the  Prophet's  friends  joined  him.  He  called 
James  Flack  to  his  side  and  told  him  he  must  not  injure  Rey- 
nolds whatever  the  provocation  might  have  been;  for  the 
Prophet  had  pledged  himself  to  protect  the  Missouri  sheriff. 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  423 

The  lawyers  and  Sheriff  Campbell,  with  other  civil  offi- 
cers, decided  that  the  hearing  upon  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus 
might  lawfully  be  held  in  Nauvoo,  and  they  desired  to  go  there 
rather  than  to  Quincy;  so  the  party  turned  in  that  direction. 
This  occasioned  great  joy  to  Joseph.  His  bruises  were  forgot- 
ten, and  that  night  when  they  reached  the  house  of  Michael 
Crane,  on  Honey  Creek,  he  sprang  from  the  buggy,  walked  up 
to  the  fence,  and  leaped  over  without  touching  it. 

A  messenger  had  carried  the  news  of  the  home-coming 
to  Nauvoo,  and  on  Friday,  June  the  30th,  a  joyous  cavalcade 
went  out  to  meet  the  Prophet.  The  meeting  between  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  was  most  touching.  Joseph  had  just  passed 
through  one  of  the  many  perils  of  his  life,  but  one  of  the  few 
which  Hyrum  did  not  share;  and  his  return  caused  Hyrum  to 
weep  for  joy  as  he  took  the  Prophet  in  his  arms.  The  specta- 
cle of  the  entry  into  Nauvoo  was  most  imposing,  for  the 
delighted  people  sang  for  joy  and  made  such  demonstration  of 
love  and  gladness  in  Joseph's  behalf,  that  the  lawyers  and 
officers  from  Dixon  were  charmed  and  deeply  impressed. 

After  they  were  within  the  city  the  multitude  seemed 
unwilling  to  disperse;  but  Joseph  said  to  them: 

"I  am  out  of  the  power  of  the  Missourians  again,  thank 
God;  and  thank  you  all  for  your  kindness  and  love.  I  bless 
you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  shall  address  you  in  the 
grove,  near  the  temple,  at  4  o'clock  this  afternoon." 

A  feast  had  been  prepared  at  Joseph's  house,  and  there 
he  went — still  in  the  hands  of  his  captors,  Reynolds  and 
Wilson,  who  were  the  prisoners  of  Sheriff  Campbell  of  Lee 
County;  and  all  of  these  with  about  fifty  of  the  Prophet's 
friends  sat  at  his  table.  The  place  of  honor  was  given  to 
Reynolds  and  Wilson  who  were  waited  upon  by  Emma  with 
as  much  courtesy  as  could  have  been  bestowed  upon  a  beloved 
guest.  This  kindness  heaped  coals  of  fire  on  their  heads,  for 
they  remembered  the  time  when  they  had  dragged  the 
Prophet  from  the  side  of  his  wife  and  little  ones  and  had 
refused  to  permit  him  to  say  farewell. 

Under  advice  of  the  lawyers,  Joseph  with  his  captors  was 
brought  before  the  municipal  court  of  Nauvoo,  and  all  the 


424  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

writs  and  other  papers  were  filed  there.  The  case  was  heard 
upon  its  merits,  and  the  Prophet  was  discharged.  The  law- 
yers concurred  that  in  all  the  transactions  since  the  day  of 
his  arrest  Joseph  had  held  himself  amenable  to  the  law  and 
its  officers ;  and  that  the  decision  of  the  municipal  court  of 
Nauvoo  was  not  only  legal  and  just  but  was  within  the  power 
of  this  tribunal  under  the  city  charter. 

But  before  the  actual  hearing  began  in  the  municipal 
court,  Reynolds  and  Wilson  in  company  with  Lawyer  Davis, 
of  Carthage,  started  for  that  place  threatening  to  raise  a  mob 
with  which  to  drag  Joseph  from  Nauvoo.  Desiring  a  larger 
force  than  they  could  readily  command  at  Carthage,  they 
applied  to  Governor  Ford  for  the  state  militia.  But  the  gov- 
ernor sent  a  trusted  messenger  to  Nauvoo  to  obtain  evidence 
concerning  the  seizure  of  the  Prophet  and  his  discharge  on 
the  writ  of  habeas  corpus;  and  this  gentleman  secured  a  copy 
of  all  the  papers  and  evidence  in  the  case.  Prominent 
citizens  of  Lee  County  added  their  affidavits;  and  several 
gentlemen  went  up  to  Springfield  to  represent  the  matter 
fairly  to  his  Excellency.  Whatever  Ford's  motive  may  have 
been — whether  a  desire  to  make  political  capital  for  his  party 
with  influential  men  who  took  the  side  of  the  Saints  in  this 
question,  or  whether  he  had  fear  that  he  would  lose  his 
personal  prestige  by  precipitating  the  unlawful  strife— he  took 
the  only  proper  course;  and  after  long  consideration,  and 
upon  the  representation  of  his  trusted  messenger,  he  refused 
to  order  out  the  militia,  and  so  reported  to  Sheriff  Reynolds 
and  Governor.  Reynolds  of  Missouri.  The  position  which 
Ford  assumed  was  that  no  resistance  had  been  made  to  any 
writ  issued  by  the  state  of  Illinois,  and  therefore  that  Illinois 
had  neither  right  nor  interest  in  the  matter. 

On  the  2nd  and  3rd  days  of  July  parties  returned  who 
had  been  out  from  Nauvoo  searching  for  the  Prophet.  One 
party  had  gone  up  the  river  on  the  little  steamer  Maid  of  Iowa, 
under  command  of  Dan  Jones,  and  had  passed  through  a  very 
adventurous  voyage.  This  company  was  accompanied  by 
Apostle  John  Taylor.  Another  party,  under  the  leadership 
of  General  Charles  C.  Rich,  had  traveled  five  hundred  miles 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  425 

on  horse-back  in  seven  days.  They  were  all  delighted  to  find 
the  Prophet  safe  at  home ;  and  he  blessed  them  for  their  love 
and  devotion  to  him. 

At  a  special  conference  on  Monday,  the  3rd  day  of  July,  a 
large  number  of  Elders  were  called  to  go  into  the  different 
•counties  of  Illinois,  to  preach  the  gospel  and  convey  correct 
information  to  the  people  of  the  state  concerning  the  Prophet's 
-arrest  and  his  discharge  from  custody. 

On  the  4th  day  of  July  about  fifteen  thousand  people 
congregated  at  the  grove  near  the  temple,  among  them  being 
about  one  thousand  ladies  and  gentlemen  from  St.  Louis, 
Quincy  and  Burlington  who  listened  attentively  to  orations 
.and  speeches.  In  the  course  of  the  address  which  he  delivered, 
the  Prophet  spoke  a  few  words  in  relation  to  his  own  arrest, 
in  which  he  defended  himself  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  vast 
multitude,  both  Saints  and  visitors : 

"  I  never  spent  more  than  six  months  in  Missouri,  except 
while  in  prison.  While  I  was  free  in  that  state,  I  was  at  work 
for  the  support  of  my  family.  I  never  was  a  prisoner  of  war 
during  my  stay,  for  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  war.  I  never 
took  a  pistol,  gun  or  sword;  and  the  most  that  has  been  said 
on  this  subject  by  the  Missourians  is  false.  I  have  been  will- 
ing to  go  before  any  governor,  judge  or  tribunal  where  justice 
would  be  done,  and  have  the  subject  investigated.  I  could 
not  have  committed  treason  in  that  state  while  I  resided  there, 
for  treason  against  Missouri  consists  in  levying  war  against 
the  state  or  adhering  to  her  enemies.  Missouri  was  at  peace, 
and  had  no  enemy  that  I  could  adhere  to,  had  I  been  disposed; 
and  I  did  not  make  war,  as  I  had  no  command  or  authority, 
either  civil  or  military,  but  only  in  spiritual  matters  as  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel." 


CHAPTER    LYIII. 

GROWTH  OF  NAUVOO — THE  MANSION- 

MOBOCRATIC     CONVENTIONS     AT     CARTHAGE — INCITING    THE 

MISSOURIANS  TO  KIDNAP THE  PROPHET  CHECKS  A  BOMBASTIC 

POLITICIAN APPEALS     FOR    REDRESS — JOY    ON    A    CHRISTMAS 

DAY ORRIN  PORTER  ROCKWELL  BACK  FROM  MISSOURI. 

WHEN  the  Prophet  once  more  saw  one  hour  of  security  in 
Nauvoo,  he  recorded  the  fact  that  he  had  been  subjected  in 
his  time  to  thirty-eight  suits  against  his  person  and  property. 
Not  one  of  these  was  just.  They  were  all  incited  for  the  pur- 
pose of  vexing  and  despoiling  him,  and  by  the  satanic  power 
that  had  sought  to  shed  the  blood  of  prophets  and  holy  men 
through  all  ages. 

But  he  was  compensated  and  filled  with  joy  to  see  the 
progress  of  Nauvoo.  From  the  states  in  this  country  and 
from  the  lands  across  the  sea,  faithful  Saints  were  gathering 
by  tens,  and  hundreds,  and  thousands.  Homes  were  being 
built  and  factories  were  projected;  the  walls  of  the  temple 
were  rising  in  grandeur,  uplifting  the  souls  of  the  Saints  with 
hope  that  they  would  soon  minister  in  the  holy  ordinances  for 
their  living  and  their  dead;  and  all  that  was  wanted  to  insure 
the  dominion  of  peace  was  the  cessation  of  the  wicked  assaults 
upon  the  Prophet  and  his  friends. 

On  the  last  of  August  Joseph  and  his  family  moved  into 
the  Nauvoo  Mansion.  It  was  his  intention  to  support  this 
place  as  a  home  for  all  visitors  who  should  come  up  to  Zion 
seeking  to  know  the  glory  of  God.  Such  hospitality  was  no 
new  thing  for  the  Prophet  to  bestow.  His  home,  whenever  he 
(had  one,  had  always  been  open  to  Saints  and  to  strangers.  It 
had  been  a  resting  place  for  thousands;  and  many  times  his 
family  had  gone  without  food,  after  giving  their  last  morsel  to 
poor  wayfarers.  The  mansion  was  a  place  in  which  such  hos- 
pitality as  the  Prophet  loved  could  well  be  extended.  With 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHE'I.  427 

these  facilities  to  entertain  company  Joseph  soon  found  his 
resources  exhausted.  But  for  the  persecutions  and  robberies 
which  he  had  suffered  he  might  have  continued  to  dispense 
his  bounties  with  generous  hand;  but  now  he  was  compelled 
to  have  the  mansion  opened  as  a  hotel,  at  first  under  his  own 
direction;  but  a  little  later  it  was  leased  for  that  purpose  to 
Ebenezer  Robinson,  the  Prophet  only  retaining  two  or  three 
rooms  for  his  personal  use.  Joseph's  mother  lived  with  him 
at  this  time. 

Among  the  saddest  afflictions  of  the  Prophet's  closing 
hours  was  the  recreancy  of  Sidney  Rigdon.  As  early  as 
August,  1843,  Joseph  had  solemnly  withdrawn  his  fellowship 
from  Sidney,  and  had  refused  to  acknowledge  him  longer  as  a 
counselor — unless  the  charge  could  satisfactorily  be  refuted  that 
he  was  in  league  with  the  Prophet's  enemies  to  betray  him 
and  give  him  up  to  death  in  Missouri.  This  was  not  the  only 
ground  for  complaint.  Sidney  was  charged  with  an  alliance 
with  dishonest  persons  to  deal  fraudulently  against  the  inno- 
cent and  unwary.  At  a  special  conference  begun  in  Nauvoo 
on  the  6th  of  October,  examination  was  made  of  the  statements 
against  President  Rigdon.  The  Prophet  recalled  the  many 
times  that  he  had  borne  with  Sidney's  failings,  having  forgiven 
him  again  and  again;  and  that  now  Sidney  had  ceased  alto- 
gether to  be  useful  and  devoted,  and  Joseph  lacked  entire  con- 
fidence in  his  integrity.  Filled  with  mercy  Hyrum  desired 
that  one  more  trial  should  be  given  to  Elder  Rigdon,  and  upon 
his  motion  Sidney  was  sustained.  The  Prophet  arose  and 
said: 

"I  have  thrown  him  off  my  shoulders,  and  you  have  again 
put  him  on  me.  You  may  carry  him ;  but  I  will  not." 

Subsequent  events  clearly  showed  how  truly  the  Prophet 
had  judged  of  the  man  who  was  once  his  friend  and  counselor 
but  who  had  now  lost  faith  and  power  in  the  gospel. 

Assaults  from  without  were  threatened,  with  violence  con- 
stantly augmenting.  In  August  some  of  the  brethren  who 
were  elected  to  county  offices  went  to  Carthage  to  give  bonds 
and  take  the  official  oath.  While  these  men  were  before  the 
court,  a  rabble  consisting  of  Constable  Harmon  T.  Wilson, 


428  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

and  about  fifteen  others  came  in  armed  with  hickory  clubs, 
knives  and  pistols  and  swore  that  the  bonds  should  not  be 
approved  nor  the  men  from  ^Tauvoo  inducted  into  office;  if 
they  were,  blood  would  be  spilled;  and  the  mob  pledged  their 
words,  honor  and  reputation,  not  only  to  keep  these  men  out 
of  office,  but  to  put  down  the  "Mormons."  After  some  delay 
the  rabble  withdrew  to  convene  a  mob  meeting,  and  the  bonds 
were  approved  by  the  court.  This  mob  secured  a  convention 
at  the  court  house  on  the  19th  of  August  and  appointed  a 
committee  to  draft  resolutions  concerning  the  Saints ;  and  at 
an  adjourned  meeting  held  on  the  6th  of  September,  1843,  a 
most  vindictive  tirade,  filled  with  lies  and  threats  was  pre- 
sented and  accepted  under  the  name  of  preamble  and  resolu- 
tions. These  mobocrats  pledged  themselves  in  the  most  deter- 
mined manner  to  give  aid  in  the  capture  of  Joseph  if  he  were 
demanded  again,  and  threatened  signal  and  summary  ven- 
geance upon  the  Saints  in  case  of  a  collision.  All  the  office- 
seekers  were  warned  that  the  influence  of  the  mobocrats  would 
be  withdrawn  from  them  if  they  sought  support  at  Nauvoo. 

This  action  was  designed  to  comfort  the  Missourians  and 
to  incite  them  to  further  efforts;  and  also  to  warn  the  office- 
holders and  office-seekers  of  the  state  of  Illinois  not  to  extend 
any  help  to  Joseph  and  his  people  in  case  of  an  attack  upon 
them.  The  sole  causes  of  the  movement,  in  addition  to  the 
falsehoods  of  Reynolds  and  Wilson,  who  felt  chagrined  at 
their  failure  to  drag  the  Prophet  to  his  death  as  they  had 
threatened,  was  that  the  people  were  increasing,  Nauvoo  was 
becoming  a  beautiful  city,  and  Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet  of 
God  and  head  of  the  community,  was  the  object  of  sectarian 
and  apostate  jealousy  and  political  hate.  Joseph  wrote  to  the 
governor  concerning  the  threatened  movements  against  the 
Saints  but  received  no  satisfaction. 

The  promise  of  the  Hancock  County  mob  and  the  quies- 
cence of  the  governor  of  Illinois  gave  license  and  promise  of 
support  to  the  people  of  Missouri  in  the  commission  of  further 
outrages.  In  November,  Daniel  Avery  and  his  son  Philander 
were  kidnapped  from  Hancock  County,  by  a  company  of  Mis- 
sourians, and  imprisoned  and  threatened  with  death  for  the 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  429 

purpose  of  extorting  false  statements  from  them  upon  which 
prosecutions  could  be  based  against  citizens  of  Nauvoo.  A 
man  named  Elliot  of  Carthage,  who  had  assisted  the  kidnap, 
pers,  was  arrested  and  brought  before  a  court  at  Nauvoo  for 
examination.  No  attempt  was  made  to  inflict  punishment 
upon  him ;  the  evidence  clearly  showed  his  guilt,  and  he  was 
bound  over  to  the  circuit  court  at  Carthage.  This  same  Elliot 
had  sworn  to  have  the  Prophet's  life,  and  complaint  was 
lodged  against  him  for  threatening  to  kill.  Elliot  was  alone 
and  defenceless ;  and  when  the  Prophet  saw  the  man's  fear 
and  helplessness,  he  obtained  a  withdrawal  of  the  charge,  paid 
the  costs  himself,  and  invited  Elliot  to  his  own  home  to  be  fed 
and  lodged. 

Writs  for  the  other  persons  engaged  in  the  Avery  kid- 
napping were  issued,  but  an  armed  mob  congregated  to  pre- 
vent the  service  of  process.  A  party  of  the  mob  went  to  the 
house  of  David  Holman  near  Ramus,  and  in  his  absence  plun- 
dered it  of  provisions  and  then  burned  it  to  the  ground,  leav- 
ing himself  and  family  shelterless  in  the  bleak  winter. 

An  attack  was  threatened  upon  Nauvoo  by  gathering- 
mobs  from  Missouri  and  Illinois;  and  in  view  of  this  danger 
the  Nauvoo  Legion  was  required  to  be  kept  in  readiness  to 
repel  unlawful  assaults. 

The  vindictive  and  lawless  character  of  the  mob  which 
menaced  the  city  is  shown  by  the  statement  of  Amos  Chase 
who  heard  the  following  conversation  between  a  spectator  and 
the  rabble: 

"What  will  you  do  if  the  governor  refuses  to  sanction 
your  course?" 

"Damn  the  governor!  if  he  opens  his  head  we  will  punch 
a  hole  through  him !  He  dare  not  speak !  We  will  serve 
him  the  same  sauce  we  will  the  Mormons ! " 

And  their  cowardly  character  is  shown  by  the  experience 
of  Nelson  Judd.  A  man  called  on  Brother  Judd  at  Nauvoo 
and  said  he  wanted  to  sell  him  some  wood  at  a  little  distance 
down  the  river.  Nelson  went  with  the  man,  and  when  they 
came  into  the  woods  two  men  on  horseback  attempted  to 
kidnap  him.  He  avoided  them  and  they  drew  their  pistols 


430  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

and  fired,  but  without  effect.  Judd  then  coolly  said:  "  Now 
it  is  my  turn!" 

Putting  his  hand  into  his  pocket  as  though  to  draw  a 
pistol,  he  looked  fiercely  at  the  bandits,  and  they  fled  shrieking 
with  terror.  Nelson  had  no  weapon  with  him  except  his 
bravery  and  innocence,  and  he  walked  home  laughing  at  the 
ruffians. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  city  council  in  December,  1843,  the 
subject  of  the  menace  to  the  city  and  the  mayor  was  under 
consideration,  and  Joseph  said  among  other  things: 

"  I  am  exposed  to  far  greater  danger  from  traitors  among 
ourselves  than  from  enemies  without,  although  my  life  has 
been  sought  for  many  years  by  the  civil  and  military  authori- 
ties, priests  and  people  of  Missouri;  and  if  I  can  escape  from 
the  ungrateful  treachery  of  assassins,  I  can  live  AS  CAESAR 

MIGHT  HAVE    LIVED,  WERE  IT  NOT  FOR  A    RIGHT-HAND  BRUTUS.       I 

have  had  pretended  friends  betray  me.  All  the  enemies  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth  may  roar  and  exert  all  their  power  to 
bring  about  my  death,  but  they  can  accomplish  nothing,  unless 
some  who  are  among  us,  who  have  enjoyed  our  society,  have 
been  with  us  in  our  councils,  participated  in  our  confidence, 
taken  us  by  the  hand,  called  us  brother,  saluted  us  with  a  kiss, 
join  with  our  enemies,  turn  our  virtues  into  faults,  and,  by 
falsehood  and  deceit,  stir  up  their  wrath  and  indignation 
against  us,  and  bring  their  united  vengeance  upon  our  heads. 
All  the  hue  and  cry  of  the  chief  priests  and  elders  against 
the  Savior  could  not  bring  down  the  wrath  of  the  Jewish 
nation  upon  his  head,  and  thereby  cause  the  crucifixion  of  the 
Son  of  God,  until  Judas  said  unto  them.  '  Whomsoever  I 
shall  kiss  he  is  the  man;  hold  him  fast.7  Judas  was  one  of 
the  Twelve  Apostles,  even  their  treasurer,  and  clipped  with  their 
Master  in  the  dish,  and  through  his  treachery,  the  crucifixion 
was  brought  about;  and  WE  HAVE  A  JUDAS  IN  OUR  MIDST." 

James  Arlington  Bennett,  a  lawyer,  journalist  and  politi- 
cian of  New  York  had  been  attracted  by  the  Prophet's  fame 
and  character.  Mr  Bennett  had  ambition  to  run  for  office  in 
the  state  of  Illinois,  and  he  wrote  a  very  complimentary  letter 
to  Joseph  in  which  he  spoke  of  the  boldness  of  the  Prophet's 
plans  and  measures;  said  that  he,  Bennett,  would  yet  run  for 
high  office  in  Illinois  and  would  give  the  Prophet  his  best 
services;  intimated  that  he  would  like  to  become  Joseph's 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  431 

right-hand  man,  since  " Mahomet  had  his  right-hand  man;" 
and  declared  that  his  mind  was  of  so  mathematical  and  philo- 
sophical a  cast  that  divinity  made  an  impression  upon  him. 
To  this  bombastic  letter  the  Prophet  replied  with  such 
incisive  vigor  as  must  have  taught  Mr.  Bennett  a  lesson  : 

"  You  say,  '  The  boldness  of  my  plans  and  measures, 
together  with  their  unparalleled  success  so  far,  are  calculated  to 
throw  a  charm  over  my  whole  being,  and  to  point  me  out  as 
the  most  extraordinary  man  of  the  present  age.'  The  boldness 
of  my  plans  and  measures  can  readily  be  tested  by  the  touch- 
stone of  all  schemes,  systems,  projects  and  adventures — truth, 
for  truth  is  a  matter  of  fact;  and  the  fact  is,  that  by  the  power 
of  God  1  translated  the  Book  of  Mormon  from  hieroglyphics, 
the  knowledge  of  which  was  lost  to  the  world:  in  which  won- 
derful event,  I  stood  alone,  an  unlearned  youth,  to  combat  the 
worldly  wisdom  and  multiplied  ignorance  of  eighteen  centur- 
ies with  a  new  revelation,  which  (if  they  would  receive  the 
everlasting  gospel)  would  open  the  eyes  of  more  than  eight 
hundred  millions  of  people,  and  make  'plain  the  old  paths,' 
wherein,  if  a  man  walk  in  all  the  ordinances  of  God  blameless, 
he  shall  inherit  eternal  life;  and  Jesus  Christ,  who  was,  and  is, 
and  is  to  come,  has  borne  me  safely  over  every  snare  and  plan, 
laid  in  secret  or  openly,  through  priestly  hypocrisy,  sectarian 
prejudice,  popular  philosophy,  executive  power,  or  law-defying 
mobocracy,  to  destroy  me. 

"  If,  then,  the  hand  of  God,  in  all  these  things  that  I  have 
accomplished,  towards  the  salvation  of  a  priest-ridden  genera- 
tion, in  the  short  space  of  twelve  years  through  the  boldness 
of  the  plan  of  preaching  the  gospel,  and  the  boldness  of  the 
means  of  declaring  repentance  and  baptism  for  the  remission 
of  sins,  and  a  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  laying  on  of  the 
hands,  agreeably  to  the  authority  x)f  the  Priesthood,  and  the 
still  more  bold  measures  of  receiving  direct  revelation  from 
God,  through  the  Comforter,  as  promised,  and  by  which 
means  all  holy  men,  from  ancient  times  till  now,  have  spoken 
and  revealed  the  will  of  God  to  men,  with  the  consequent 
'success'  of  the  gathering  of  the  Saints,  throws  any  'charm' 
around  my  being,  and  'points  me  out  as  the  most  extraordinary 
man  of  the  age,'  it  demonstrates  the  fact,  that  truth  is  mighty, 
and  must  prevail;  and  that  one  man  empowered  from  Jehovah 
has  more  influence  with  the  children  of  the  kingdom  than  eight 
hundred  millions  led  by  the  precepts  of  men.  God  exalts  the 
humble,  and  debases  the  haughty. 


432  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

"  The  summit  of  your  future  fame  seems  to  be  hid  in  the 
political  policy  of  a  'mathematical  problem'  for  the  chief  mag- 
istracy of  this  state,  which,  I  suppose,  might  be  solved  by 
'double  position/  where  the  errors  of  the  supposition  are  used 
to  produce  a  true  answer. 

"  But,  sir,  when  I  leave  the  dignity  and  honor  I  received 
from  heaven  to  hoist  a  man  into  power,  through  the  aid  of  my 
friends,  where  the  evil  and  designing,  after  the  object  has  been 
accomplished  .can  look  up  the  clemency,  intended  as  a  recipro- 
cation for  such  favors,  and  where  the  wicked  and  unprincipled, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  would  seize  the  opportunity  to  flintify 
the  hearts  of  the  nation  against  me  for  dabbling  at  a  sly  game 
in  politics;  verily,  I  say,  when  I  leave  the  dignity  and  honor 
of  heaven  to  gratify  the  ambition  and  vanity  of  man  or  men, 
may  my  power  cease,  like  the  strength  of  Samson,  when  he 
was  shorn  of  his  locks,  while  asleep  in  the  lap  of  Delilah ! 
Truly  said  the  Savior,  '  Cast  not  your  pearls  before  swine,  lest 
they  trample  them  under  their  feet,  and  turn  again  and  rend 
you.' 

"  Shall  I,  who  have  witnessed  the  visions  of  eternity,  and 
beheld  the  glories  of  the  mansions  of  bliss,  and  the  regions 
and  the  misery  of  the  damned,  shall  I  turn  to  be  a  Judas  ?  Shall 
I,  who  have  heard  the  voice  of  God,  and  communed  with 
angels,  and  spake,  as  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  for  the  renewal 
of  the  everlasting  covenant,  and  for  the  gathering  of  Israel  in 
the  last  days,  shall  I  worm  myself  into  a  political  hypocrite  ? 
Shall  I,  who  hold  the  keys  of  the  last  kingdom,  in  which  is 
the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  all  things  spoken  by  the 
mouths  of  all  the  holy  prophets,  since  the  world  began,  under 
the  sealing  power  of  the  Melchisedec  Priesthood — shall  I  stoop 
from  the  sublime  authority  of  Almighty  God  to  be  handled  as 
a  monkey's  catspaw,  and  pettify  myself  into  a  clown  to  act  the 
farce  of  political  demagoguery  ?  No,  verily  no  !  The  whole 
earth  shall  bear  me  witness  that  I,  like  the  towering  rock  in  the 
midst  of  the  ocean,  which  has  withstood  the  mighty  surges  of 
the  warring  waves  for  centuries,  am  impregnable,  and  am  a  faith- 
ful friend  to  virtue,  and  a  fearless  foe  to  vice;  no  odds, 
whether  the  former  was  sold  as  a  pearl  in  Asia,  or  hid  as  a  gem 
in  America,  and  the  latter  dazzles  in  palaces,  or  glimmers 
among  the  tombs. 

"I  combat  the  errors  of  ages;  I  meet  the  violence  of 
mobs ;  I  cope  with  illegal  proceedings  from  executive  author- 
ity; I  cut  the  Gordian  knot  of  powers;  and  I  solve  mathema- 
tical problems  of  universities  WITH  TRUTH — diamond  truth ;  and 
God  is  my  Bright-hand  man.'" 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  433 

In  December  memorials  were  prepared  and  sent  to  Con- 
gress supplicating  for  a  redress  of  the  wrongs  inflicted  upon  tlui 
Saints  in  Missouri  and  for  protection  against  further  plunder- 
ing. This  seemed  necessary,  for  the  governor  of  Illinois  had 
practically  confessed  the  helplessness  of  the  state  to  prevent 
the  infliction  of  additional  wrongs  upon  this  long-suffering  peo- 
ple. The  memorials  were  signed  by  the  citizens  of  Hancock 
County  and  the  city  council  of  Nauvoo;  they  were  truthful 
and  eloquent;  and  they  were  of  as  little  avail  as  other  appeals 
for  justice  made  by  the  people  of  God  in  this  and  other  ages. 
Several  of  the  Elders  wrote  addresses  to  their  native  states, 
setting  forth  with  the  vigor  of  truth  the  wrongs  and  oppres- 
sions which  had  been  inflicted  upon  them  by  Missouri.  Joseph 
wrote  a  stirring  appeal  to  the  people — the  Green  Mountain 
boys — of  his  native  state  of  Vermont.  After  sketching  the 
great  wrongs  which  the  people  had  endured,  the  Prophet 
says: 

"Must  we,  because  we  believe  in  the  fullness  of  the  gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ,  the  administration  of  angels  and  the  com- 
munion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  like  the  prophets  and  apostles  of 
old, — must  we  be  mobbed  with  impunity,  be  exiled  from  our 
habitations  and  property  without  remedy,  murdered  without 
mercy,  and  government  find  the  weapons  and  pay  the  vagabonds 
for  doing  the  jobs,  and  give  them  the  plunder  into  the  bargain  ? 
Must  we,  because  we  believe  in  enjoying  the  constitutional 
privilege  and  right  of  worshiping  Almighty  God  according 
to  the  dictates  of  our  own  consciences,  and  because  we  believe 
in  repentance,  and  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands,  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead,  the  millennium,-  the  day  of  judgment  and  the 
Book  of  Mormon  as  the  history  of  the  aborigines  of  this 
continent, — must  we  be  expelled  from  the  institutions  of  our 
country,  the  rights  of  citizenship,  and  the  graves  of  our  friends 
and  brethren,  and  the  government  lock  the  gate  of  humanity 
and  shut  the  door  of  redress  against  us?  If  so,  farewell  free- 
dom !  adieu  to  personal  safety !  and  let  the  red  hot  wrath  of 
an  offended  God  purify  the  nation  of  such  sinks  of  corruption; 
for  that  realm  is  hurrying  to  ruin  where  vice  has  the  power  to 
expel  virtue. 

"My  father,  who  stood  several  times  in  the  battles  of  the 
American  Revolution,  till  his-  companions  in  arms  had  been 


434  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

shot  dead  at  his  feet,  was  forced  from  his  home  in  Far  West, 
Missouri,  by  those  civilized  or  satanized  savages,  in  the  dreary 
season  of  winter,  to  seek  a  shelter  in  another  state;  and  the 
vicissitudes  and  sufferings  consequent  to  his  flight  brought  his 
honored  grey  head  to  the  grave  a  few  months  after. 


"I  appeal  to  the 'Green  Mountain  Boys'  of  my  native 
state  to  rise  in  the  majesty  of  virtuous  freemen,  and  by  all 
honorable  means  help  to  bring  Missouri  to  the  bar  of  justice. 
If  there  is  one  whisper  from  the  spirit  of  an  Ethan  Allen,  or 
a  gleam  from  the  shade  of  a  General  Stark,  let  it  mingle  with 
our  sense  of  honor  and  fire  our  bosoms  for  the  cause  of  suffer- 
ing innocence,  for  the  reputation  of  our  disgraced  country,  and 
for  the  glory  of  God;  and  may  all  the  earth  bear  me  witness, 
if  Missouri — blood- stained  Missouri,  escapes  the  due  demerit 
of  her  crimes — the  vengeance  she  so  justly  deserves,  that  Ver- 
mont is  a  hypocrite,  a  coward,  and  this  nation  the  hot-bed  of 
political  demagogues! 

"  I  make  this  appeal  to  the  sons  of  liberty  of  my  native 
state  for  help  to  frustrate  the  wicked  designs  of  sinful  men.  I 
make  it  to  hush  the  violence  of  mobs.  I  make  it  to  cope  with 
the  unhallowed  influence  of  wicked  men  in  high  places.  I 
make  it  to  resent  the  insult  and  injury  made  to  an  innocent, 
unoffending  people,  by  a  lawless  ruffian  state.  I  make  it  to 
obtain  justice  where  law  is  put  at  defiance.  I  make  it  to  wipe 
off  the  stain  of  blood  from  our  nation's  escutcheon.  I  make 
it  to  show  presidents,  governors  and  rulers  prudence.  I  make 
it  to  fill  honorable  men  with  discretion.  I  make  it  to  teach 
senators  wisdom.  I  make  it  to  teach  judges  justice.  I  make 
it  to  point  clergymen  to  the  path  of  virtue.  And  I  make  it  to 
turn  the  hearts  of  this  nation  to  the  truth  and  realities  of  pure 
and  undefiled  religion,  that  they  may  escape  the  perdition  of 
ungodly  men :  and  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  is  my  great 
counselor." 

On  Christmas  morning,  1843,  Joseph  and  Hyrum  were 
roused  from  their  slumbers  by  the  hymn  of  a  choir  singing, 
"Mortals,  awake!  With  angels  join."  The  choir  was  com- 
posed of  a  widow  named  Lettice  Rushton  and  her  children 
and  neighbors;  and  their  sweet  voices  and  the  noble  senti- 
ments of  the  hymn  thrilled  the  souls  of  the  Prophet  and 
Patriarch  into  gladness  and  thanksgiving.  Joseph  blessed  the 
singers  and  thanked  his  Heavenly  Father  for  the  visit. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  435 

Hyrum  said  that  he  thought  at  first  that  a  cohort  of  angels 
had  descended,  for  the  music  had  such  a  heavenly  effect  upon 
his  soul.  It  was  the  last  Christmas  carol  that  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  heard  in  this  life.  Before  another  year  had  passed 
these  two  grand  mortals  had  passed  into  the  slumber  of  death, 
to  awake  with  immortality  upon  them  and  to  join  with  the 
choir  invisible. 

On  the  night  of  this  same  day  another  joy  came  to 
Joseph.  He  was  entertaining  a  company  of  friends  at  his 
house  when  the  festivities  were  interrupted  by  a  man  who 
came  unbidden  to  the  feast.  His  hair  was  long  and  fell  over 
his  face  and  upon  his  shoulders.  He  seemed  a  stranger  to  all 
and  yet  acted  boldly  and  confidently  as  if  at  home.  The  com- 
pany thought  he  was  a  Missourian  and  he  would  have  been 
ejected,  but  the  Prophet  came  and  looked  him  fairly  in  the 
face  and  discovered  to  his  great  joy  that  it  was  his  long- tried 
and  persecuted  friend  Orrin  Porter  Rockwell  who,  in  fulfillment 
of  the  prediction  of  Joseph,  had  come  away  honorably  from 
Missouri. 

Orrin  was  gladly  welcomed  then  to  the  banquet,  and  the 
Prophet  listened  to  the  recital  of  his  adventures.  After  going 
to  the  east  in  1842  and  remaining  some  months,  Rockwell 
determined  to  return  to  his  home  in  Nauvoo,  not  desiring  per- 
petual exile.  At  St.  Louis  he  was  captured  and  thrown  into 
jail.  Iron  hobbles  and  manacles  were  fastened  upon  him  and 
he  was  carried  to  Independence.  He  was  dragged  from  place 
to  place,  from  court  to  court,  tortured,  threatened,  starved, 
and  all  without  any  legal  or  just  charge  against  him.  Not  the 
remotest  connection  could  be  traced  between  him  and  the 
attempt  upon  Boggs'  life.  He  had  not  been  seen  in  the  entire 
state  of  Missouri  during  the  year  in  which  that  event  took 
place.  No  court  from  very  shame  could  hold  him  on  this 
monstrous  charge,  but  when  it  failed  others  were  concocted; 
and  in  the  meantime  several  mob  parties  attempted  to  take  his 
life  as  he  was  dragged  to  and  fro  in  custody.  After  repeated 
solicitations  he  induced  Joseph  Reynolds,  the  sheriff  of  Jack- 
son, to  write  to  Bishop  Whitney  at  Nauvoo,  and  this  is  the 
communication  which  that  officer  of  law  forwarded  : 


436  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

"  INDEPENDENCE,  MISSOURI,  April  7th,  1843. 
"Sir: — At  the  request  of  Orrin  Porter  Rockwell,  who  is  now 
confined  in  our  jail,  I  write  you  a  few  lines  concerning  his  affairs. 
He  is  held  to  bail  in  the  sum  of  $5,000,  and  wishes  some  of 
his  friends  to  bail  him  out.  He  also  wishes  some  friend  to 
bring  his  clothes  to  him.  He  is  in  good  health  and  pretty 
good  spirits.  My  own.  opinion  is,  after  conversing  with  several 
persons  here,  that  it  would  not  be  safe  for  any  of  Mr.  Rockwell's 
friends  to  come  here,  notwithstanding  I  have  written  the  above 
at  his  request;  neither  do  I  think  bail  would  be  taken  (unless 
it  was  some  responsible  person  well  known  here  as  a  resident 
of  this  state).  Any  letter  to  Mr.  Rockwell,  (post  paid)  with 
authority  expressed  on  the  back  for  me  to  open  it,  will  be 
handed  to  him  without  delay.  In  the  meantime  he  will  be 
humanely  treated  and  dealt  with  kindly,  until  discharged  by 
due  course  of  law. 

"Yours,  etc., 

"  J.  H.  REYNOLDS." 

From  Orrin's  own  narrative  of  his  experiences  the  follow- 
ing paragraphs  are  taken : 

"  When  I  was  put  in  Independence  jail,  I  was  again  ironed 
hand  and  foot,  and  put  in  the  dungeon,  in  which  condition  I 
remained  about  two  months.  During  this  time,  Joseph  H. 
Reynolds,  the  sheriff,  told  me  he  was  going  to  arrest  Joseph 
Smith,  and  they  had  received  letters  from  Nauvoo  which  satis- 
fied them  that  Joseph  Smith  had  unlimited  confidence  in  me, 
that  I  was  capable  of  toling  him  in  a  carriage  or  on  horseback 
anywhere  that  I  pleased ;  and  if  I  would  only  tole  him  out  by 
riding  or  any  other  way,  so  that  they  could  apprehend  him,  I 
might  please  myself  whether  I  stayed  in  Illinois  or  came  back 
to  Missouri ;  they  would  protect  me,  and  any  pile  that  I  would 
name  the  citizens  of  Jackson  County  would  donate,  club 
together  and  raise,  and  that  I  should  never  suffer  for  want 
afterwards  :  'you  only  deliver  Joe  Smith  into  our  hands,  and 
name  your  pile.'  I  replied — '  I  will  see  you  all  damned  first, 
and  then  I  won't.' 

"  About  the  time  that  Joseph  was  arrested  by  Reynolds  at 
Dixon,  I  knowing  that  they  were  after  him,  and  no  means 
under  heaven  of  giving  him  any  information,  my  anxiety 
became  so  intense  upon  the  subject,  knowing  their  determina- 
tion to  kill  him,  that  my  flesh  twitched  on  my  bones.  I  could 
not  help  it ;  twitch  it  would.  While  undergoing  this  sensa- 
tion, I  heard  a  dove  alight  on  the  window  in  the  upper  room 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  437 

of  the  jail,  and  commence  cooing,  and  then  went  off.  In  a 
short  time  he  came  back  to  the  window,  where  a  pane  was 
broken :  he  crept  through  between  the  bars  of  iron,  which  were 
about  two  and  a  half  inches  apart.  I  saw  it  fly  round  the  trap- 
door several  times :  it  did  not  alight,  but  continued  cooing  until 
it  crept  through  the  bars  again,  and  flew  out  through  the  broken 
window. 

"  I  relate  this,  as  it  was  the  only  occurrence  of  the  kind 
that  happened  during  my  long  and  weary  imprisonment;  but 
it  proved  a  comfort  to  me  :  the  twitching  of  my  flesh  ceased, 
and  I  was  fully  satisfied  from  that  moment  that  they  would 
not  get  Joseph  into  Missouri,  and  that  I  should  regain  my 
freedom.  From  the  best  estimates  that  can  be  made,  it  was  at 
the  time  when  Joseph  was  in  the  custody  of  Reynolds. 

"In  a  few  days  afterwards,  Sheriff  Reynolds  came  into 
the  jail  and  told  me  that  he  had  made  a  failure  in  the  arrest 
of  Joseph.''' 

At  last,  finding  that  no  charge  could  be  maintained 
against  the  prisoner,  and  that  he  could  not  be  bribed,  or 
cajoled,  or  driven  into  a  traitorous  act,  he  was  turned  loose  to 
make  his  way  on  foot  across  the  state  of  Missouri,  which 
swarmed  with  enemies.  He  was  marvelously  preserved  from 
dangers  which  encompassed  his  path,  and  reached  Nauvoo  as 
much  to  Joseph's  joy  as  his  own. 

The  Prophet  must  have  compared  the  fidelity  of  this 
unpretending  but  loyal  man  with  the  selfish  and  traitorous 
action  of  some  men  upon  whom  benefits  and  confidences  had 
been  showered. 


CHAPTER  LIX. 

JOSEPH  SMITH  FOR  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES — AN  INSPIRED 

CANDIDATE HIS    VIEWS    OF   THE    POWERS  AND  POLICY    OF   THE 

GENERAL    GOVERNMENT HOW     THE     COUNTRY     COULD     HAVE 

SAVED  THE  CARNAGE  OF  WAR. 

FOR  PRESIDENT  OF    THE    UNITED    STATES:     JOSEPH    SMITH    OF    ILLI- 
NOIS. 

This  was  the  announcement  made  to  the  world  in  the 
opening  of  1844,  from  Nauvoo.  At  a  political  meeting  held 
there  on  the  29th  day  of  January,  Joseph  was  nominated;  and 
on  the  17th  day  of  May  at  a  state  convention  held  in  the  same 
place  the  nomination  was  sustained. 

Such  a  candidacy  was'not  assumed  at  such  a  time  without 
careful  and  lengthy  deliberation.  Its  purpose  was  less  to  secure 
political  fame  or  elevation  for  the  Prophet,  than  to  bring  his 
patriotic  [and  statesman-like  ideas  before  the  world,  and  to 
force  the  sufferings  of  the  Saints  upon  the  attention  of  the 
thinking  men  throughout  the  land. 

Joseph's  views  of  government,  its  powers  and  duties,  his 
knowledge  of  the  steps  by  which  this  nation  could  retrace  its 
way  from  the  gulf  into  which  it  was  [being  plunged,  were  far 
in  advance  of  his  time.  The  recreancy  and  the  moral  cow- 
ardice of  many  of  the  public  men  in  the  republic  who  were 
aspirants  for  that  high  station,  called  for  some  rebuke;  for 
many  of  them  were  deliberately  precipitating  the  evils  which 
soon  deluged  the  land  with  blood,  and  others  through  fear 
were  skulking  from  the  face  of  this  danger.  It  was  time  for 
a  declaration  of  truth  from  a  man  who  not  only  had  the  pro- 
phetic foresight  but  who  had  the  courage  to  declare  for  justice. 
Viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  politicians  the  candidacy  of 
the  Prophet  was  hopeless  in  1844.  What  it  might  have  been 
if  he  had  lived  and  it  had  been  renewed  at  a  later  time,  when 
the  best  minds  of  the  nation  could  have  grasped  and  advocated 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET.  439 

the  noble  principles  which  he  enunciated  and  thinking  men 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  could  have 
seen  that  this  was  the  way  of  all  others  for  escape  from  war, 
let  the  student  of  history  decide.  Certain  it  is  that  had  Jos- 
eph Smith  been  elected  President  of  the  United  States 
and  been  sustained  by  Congress  in  his  policy,  this  land  would 
have  been  spared  the  desolating  woe  which  filled  its  hamlets 
and  fields  with  carnage  and  its  homes  with  sobbing  widows 
and  orphans. 

From  this  same  state  of  Illinois  a  backwoodsman  came 
sixteen  years  later  to  settle  the  national  dispute  and  save  the 
Union  by  the  stern  arbitrament  of  the  sword,  for  by  this  time 
the  paltering  politicians  of  the  schools  were  by  the  mighty 
voice  of  the  people  set  aside.  This  man,  raised  up  by  Provi- 
dence for  the  task,  and  with  the  courage  to  do,  wras  the  nation's 
support  and  rescuer  in  1861-65.  But  had  the  nation  accepted 
Joseph  Smith,  with  the  views  which  he  proclaimed  and  with 
the  divine  prescience  upon  him,  he  would  have  proved,  in 
1845-49,  the  republic's  savior.  Peaceful  methods  would  have 
prevailed,  and  Columbia  would  have  been  spared  the  most 
bloody  and  costly  civil  war  of  which  profane  history  gives  any 
account. 

Looking  back  upon  that  time  of  the  war  after  nearly  a 
generation  has  past,  men  are  prone  to  think  less  of  the  agonies 
of  the  strife:  they  begin  to  fetl  that  it  was  necessary;  to  feel 
that  the  republic  is  stronger  because  cemented  by  the  blood  of 
brother  who  fell  under  brother's  hand  and  by  the  tears  of  the 
widow  and  the  fatherless.  To  sense  the  full  beneficence  which 
Joseph  Smith  might  have  wrought,  let  the  patriot  project  his 
mind  into  the  future  and  think  if  peril  impended  to-day  how 
much  better  to  save  the  country  and  the  constitution  by  heroic 
statesmanship  than  by  military  valor. 

The  sentiment  which  permitted  the  persecutions  in  Mis- 
souri and  Illinois  to  go  unchecked  and  unredressed  was  rapidly 
ripening  for  the  greater  strife.  Joseph  saw  this.  When  he 
permitted  his  name  to  be  used  he  said  to  his  friends : 

"  I  would  not  have  suffered  my  name  to  have  been  used 
by  my  friends  on  anywise  as  President  of  the  United  States, 


440  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

or  candidate  for  that  office,  if  I  and  my  friends  could  have 
had  the  privilege  of  enjoying  our  religious  and  civil  rights  as 
American  citizens,  even  those  rights  which  the  constitution 
guarantees  unto  all  her  citizens  alike.  But  this  we  as  a 
people  have  been  denied  from  the  beginning.  Persecution 
has  rolled  upon  our  heads  from  time  to  time,  from  portions  of 
the  United  States,  like  peals  of  thunder,  because  of  our 
religion ;  and  no  portion  of  the  government  as  yet  has  stepped 
forward  for  our  relief.  And  under  view  of  these  things,  I  feel  it 
to  be  my  right  and  privilege  to  obtain  wThat  influence  and 
power  I  can,  lawfully,  in  the  United  States,  for  the  protection 
of  injured  innocence;  and  if  I  lose  my  life  in  a  good  cause,  I 
am  willing  to  be  sacrificed  on  the  altar  of  virtue,  righteous- 
ness and  truth,  in  maintaining  the  laws  and  constitution  of  the 
the  United  States,  if  need  be,  for  the  general  good  of  man- 
kind." 

Joseph  had  not  allowed  this  candidacy  to  be  announced, 
until  every  effort  had  been  made  to  impress  the  leading  politi- 
cians of  the  days  with  a  sense  of  national  peril  and  with 
recognition  of  the  means  by  which  overhanging  disaster  might 
be  dissipated.  Late  in  1843,  and  in  the  opening  of  1844,  he 
held  correspondence  with  Clay,  Calhoun,  Van  Buren,  Cass, 
and  others  in  which  his  own  courage  and  exalted  ideas  of 
government  come  into  contradistinction  to  the  sycophantic 
and  excessive  caution  of  time-serving  politicians. 

He  hit  Calhoun,  the  champion  of  states  rights,  on  a 
tender  spot,  and  used  the  woes  of  the  Saints  for  an  illustration 
when  he  said : 

"  Your  second  paragraph  leaves  you  naked  before  your- 
self, like  a  likeness  in  a  mirror,  when  you  say  that.  '  according 
to  your  view,  the  Federal  Government  is  one  of  limited  and 
specific  powers/  arid  has  no  jurisdiction  in  the  case  of  the 
Mormons.  So  then  a  state  can  at  any  time  expel  any  por- 
tion of  her  citizens  with  impunity,  and,  in  the  language  of  Mr. 
Van  Buren,  frosted  over  with  your  gracious  '  views  of  the  case,' 
though  the  cause  is  ever  so  just,  governments  can  do  nothing 
for  them,  because  it  has  no  power. 

"Go  on,  then,  Missouri,  after  another  set  of  inhabitants 
(as  the  Latter-day  Saints  did)  have  entered  some  two  or  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  land,  and  made  extensive 
improvements  thereon ;  go  on,  then,  I  say,  banish  the  occu- 
pants or  owners,  or  kill  them,  as  the  mobbers  did  many  of  the 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  441 

Latter-day  Saints,  and  take  their  land  and  property  as  spoil ; 
and  let  the  legislature,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Mormons,  appro- 
priate a  couple  of  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  pay  the  mob 
for  doing  that  job;  for  the  renowned  senator  from  South 
Carolina,  Mr.  J.  C.  Calhoun,  says  the  powers  of  the  Federal 
Government  are  so  specific  and  limited  that  it  has  no  jurisdiction 
of  the  case  !  0  ye  people  who  groan  under  the  oppression  of 
tyrants! — ye  exiled  Poles,  who  have  felt  the  iron  hand  of 
Russian  grasp! — ye  poor  and  unfortunate  among  all  nations! 
come  to  the  asylum  of  the  oppressed ;  buy  ye  lands  of  the 
general  government;  pay  in  your  money  to  the  treasury  to 
strengthen  the  army  and  the  navy;  worship  God  according  to 
the  dictates  of  your  own  consciences ;  pay  in  your  taxes  to 
support  the  great  heads  of  a  glorious  nation :  but  remember, 
a  ' sovereign  state'  is  so  much  more  powerful  than  the  United 
States,  the  parent  government,  that  it  can  exile  you  at 
pleasure,  mob  you  with  impunity,  confiscate  your  lands  and 
property,  have  the  legislature  sanction  it, — yea,  even  murder 
you  as  an  edict  of  an  emperor,  and  it  does  no  wrong ;  for  the 
noble  senator  of  South  Carolina  says  the  power  of  the  Federal 
Government  is  so  limited  and  specific,  that  it  has  no  jurisdiction 
of  the  case.  What  think  ye  of  imperium  in  imperio  f  ' 

And  to  Clay  he  said : 

"True  greatness  never  wavers;  but  when  the  Missouri 
compromise  was  entered  into  by  you  for  the  benefit  of  slavery, 
there  was  a  shrinkage  of  western  honor."  t 

Soon  after  his  nomination  was  promulgated,  he  wrote  an 
address  to  the  American  people  containing  his  views  of  the 
powers  and  policy  of  the  government  of  the  United  States.  It 
was  something  new  in  the  way  of  political  platforms. 
Ignoring  the  evasions  and  the  platitudes  with  which  the 
scheming  and  shifting  talk  of  the  day  was  burdened,  he 
uttered  burning  words  of  patriotism  and  statesmanship  upon 
the  issues  which  were  then  paramount  in  the  land.  With  the 
acceptance  of  his  plans,  the  slave  question  might  have  been 
settled  without  the  effusion  of  blood  and  at  an  expense 
infinitely  less  than  that  of  war;  and  rebellion  in  any  state 
might  have  been  instantly  crushed  under  the  national  heel. 
The  following  paragraphs  are  from  his  address : 

"Born  in  a  land  of  liberty,  arid  breathing  an  air  uncor- 
rupted  with  the  sirocco  of  barbarous  climes,  I  ever  feel  a 


442  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

double  anxiety  for  the  happiness  of  all  men,  both  in  time 
and  in  eternity. 

"My  cogitations,  like  Daniel's,  have  for  a  long  time 
troubled  me,  when  I  viewed  the  condition  of  men  throughout 
the  world,  and  more  especially  in  this  boasted  realm,  where 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  'holds  these  truths  to  be  self- 
evident,  that  all  men  are  created  equal;  that  they  are  endowed 
by  their  Creator  with  certain  unalienable  rights;  that  among 
these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness;'  but  at 
the  same  time  some  two  or  three  millions  of  people  are  held 
as  slaves  for  life,  because  the  spirit  of  them  is  covered  with  a 
darker  skin  than  ours;  and  hundreds  of  our  own  kindred  for 
an  infraction,  or  supposed  infraction,  of  some  over-wise  statute, 
have  to  be  incarcerated  in  dungeon  glooms,  or  suffer  the  more 
moral  penitentiary  gravitation  of  mercy  in  a  nutshell,  while 
the  duellist,  the  debauchee,  and  the  defaulter  for  millions  and 
other  criminals,  take  the  uppermost  rooms  at  feasts,  or,  like 
the  bird  of  passage,  find  a  more  congenial  clime  by  flight. 

"The  wisdom  which  ought  to  characterize  the  freest, 
wisest  and  most  noble  nation  of  the  nineteenth  century,  should, 
like  the  sun  in  its  meridian  splendor,  warm  every  object 
beneath  its  rays ;  and  the  main  efforts  of  her  officers,  who  are 
nothing  more  or  less  than  the  servants  of  the  people,  ought 
to  be  directed  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  all,  black  or 
white,  bond  or  free ;  for  the  best  of  books  says,  God  '  hath 
made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men  for  to  dwell  on  all  the 
face  of  the  earth.' 

"Our  common  country  presents  to  all  men  the  same 
advantages,  the  same  facilities,  the  same  prospects,  the  same 
honors,  and  the  same  rewards;  and  without  hypocrisy,  the 
constitution,  when  it  says,  "WE,  THE  PEOPLE  of  the  United 
States  in  order  to  form  a  more  perfect  union,  establish  justice, 
ensure  domestic  tranquility,  provide  for  the  common  defence, 
promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the  blessings  of 
liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  posterit}7,  do  ordain  and  establish 
this  constitution  for  the  United  States  of  America,'  meant 
just  what  it  said  without  reference  to  color  or  condition,  ad 
infinitum. 

"  The  aspirations  and  expectations  of  a  virtuous  people, 
environed  with  so  wise,  so  liberal,  so  deep,  so  broad,  and  so 
high  a  charter  of  equal  rights  as  appears  in  said  constitution, 
ought  to  be  treated  by  those  to  whom  the  administration  of 
the  laws  is  entrusted  with  as  much  sanctity  as  the  prayers  of 
the  Saints  are  treated  in  heaven,  that  love,  confidence  and 
union,  like  the  sun,  moon  and  stars,  should  bear  witness, 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  443 

"  (For  ever  singing  as  they  shine.) 
'  The  hand  that  made  vs  is  divine!' 

"Unity  is  power;  and  when  I  reflect  on  the  importance 
of  it  to  the  stability  of  all  governments,  I  arn  astounded  at 
the  silly  moves  of  persons  and  parties  to  foment  discord  in 
order  to  ride  into  power  on  the  current  of  popular  excitement; 
nor  am  I  less  surprised  at  the  stretches  of  power  or  restrictions 
of  right  which  too  often  appear  as  acts  of  legislators  to  pave  the 
way  to  some  favorite  political  scheme  as  destitute  of  intrinsic 
merit  as  a  wolf's  heart  is  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness. 

******* 

"  Now,  0  people !  people !  turn  unto  the  Lord  and  live, 
and  reform  this  nation.  Frustrate  the  designs  of  wicked  men. 
Reduce  Congress  at  least  two-thirds.  Two  senators  from  a 
state  and  two  members  to  a  million  of  population  will  do  more 
business  than  the  army  that  now  occupy  the  halls  of  the 
national  legislature.  Pay  them  two  dollars  and  their  board 
per  diem  (except  Sundays).  That  is  more  than  the  farmer 
gets,  and  he  lives  honestly.  Curtail  the  officers  of  the  govern- 
ment in  pay,  number  and  power;  for  the  Philistine  lords  have 
shorn  our  nation  of  its  goodly  locks  in  the  lap  of  Delilah. 

******* 

"Advise  your  legislators,  when  they  make  laws  for  lar- 
ceny, burglary  or  any  felony,  to  make  the  penalty  applicable 
to  work  upon  roads,  public  works,  or  any  place  where  the 
culprit  can  be  taught  more  wisdom  and  more  virtue,  and 
become  more  enlightened.  Rigor  and  seclusion  will  never  do 
as  much  to  reform  the  propensities  of  men  as  reason  and 
friendship.  Murder  only  can  claim  confinement  or  death. 
Let  the  penitentiaries  be  turned  into  seminaries  of  learning, 
where  intelligence,  like  the  angels  of  heaven,  would  banish 
such  fragments  of  barbarism.  Imprisonment  for  debt  is  a 
meaner  practice  than  the  savage  tolerates,  with  all  his  ferocity. 
'Amor  vincit  omnia.' 

"  Petition,  also,  ye  goodly  inhabitants  of  the  slave  states, 
your  legislators  to  abolish  slavery  by  the  year  1850,  or  now, 
and  save  the  abolitionist  from  reproach  and  ruin,  infamy  and 
shame. 

"  Pray  Congress  to  pay  every  man  a  reasonable  price  for 
his  slaves  out  of  the  surplus  revenue  arising  trom  the  sale  of 
public  lands  and  from  the  deduction  of  pay  from  the  members 
of  Congress. 

"Break  off  the  shackles  from  the  poor  black  man,  and 
hire  him  to  labor  like  other  human  beings;  for  'au  hour  of 


444  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

virtuous  liberty  on  earth  is  worth  a  whole  eternity  of  bondage.' 
Abolish  the  practice  in  the  army  and  navy  of  trying  men  by 
court-martial  for  desertion.  If  a  soldier  or  marine  runs  away, 
send  him  his  wages,  with  this  instruction,  that  his  country  will 
never  trust  him  again;  he  has  forfeited  his  honor. 

"Make  HONOR  the  standard  with  all  men.  Be  sure  that 
good  is  rendered  for  evil  in  all  cases,  and  the  whole  nation, 
like  a  kingdom  of  kings  and  priests,  will  rise  up  in  righteous- 
ness, and  be  respected  as  wise  and  worthy  on  earth,  and  as 
just  and  holy  for  heaven,  by  Jehovah,  the  author  of  perfection. 

"More  economy  in  the  national  and  state  governments 
would  make  less  taxes  among  the  people;  more  equality 
through  the  cities,  towns  and  country,  would  make  less  dis- 
tinction among  the  people;  and  more  honesty  and  familiarity 
in  societies,  would  make  less  hypocrisy  and  flattery  in  all 
branches  of  the  community;  and  open,  frank,  candid  decorum 
to  all  men,  in  this  boasted  land  of  liberty,  would  beget  esteem, 
confidence,  union  and  love;  and  the  neighbor  from  any  state, 
or  from  any  country,  of  whatever  color,  clime  or  tongue,  could 
rejoice  when  he  put  his  foot  on  the  sacred  soil  of  freedom,  and 
exclaim,  The  very  name  of  '  American'  is  fraught  with  friend- 
ship. Oh,  then,  create  confidence!  restore  freedom!  break 
down  slavery!  banish  imprisonment  for  debt,  and  be  in  love, 
fellowship  and  peace,  with  all  the  world!  Remember  that 
honesty  is  not  subject  to  law :  the  law  was  made  for  transgres- 
sors. 

******* 

"Give  every  man  his  constitutional  freedom,  and  the 
President  full  power  to  send  an  army  to  suppress  mobs,  and 
the  state  authority  to  repel  and  impugn  that  relic  of  folly 
which  makes  it  necessary  for  the  governor  of  a  state  to  make 
the  demand  of  the  president  for  troops,  in  case  of  invasion  or 
rebellion. 

"The  governor  himself  may  be  a  mobber;  and  instead  of 
being  punished,  as  he  should  be,  for  murder  or  treason,  he 
may  destroy  the  very  lives,  rights  and  property  he  should  pro- 
tect. 

******* 

"  As  to  the  contiguous  territories  to  the  United  States, 
wisdom  would  direct  no  tangling  alliance.  Oregon  belongs  to 
this  government  honorably;  and  when  we  have  the  red  man's 
consent,  let  the  Union  spread  from  the  east  to  the  west  sea; 
and  if  Texas  petitions  Congress  to  be  adopted  among  the  sons 
of  liberty,  give  her  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  and  refuse 
not  the  same  friendly  grip  to  Canada  and  Mexico.  And  when 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET  44.") 

the  right  arm  of  freemen  is  stretched  out  in  the  character  of  a 
navv  for  the  protection  of  rights,  commerce  and  honor,  let  the 
iron  eyes  of  power  watch  from  Maine  to  Mexico,  and  from 
California  to  Columbia.  Thus  may  union  be  strengthened, 
and  foreign  speculation  prevented  from  opposing  broadside  to 
broadside. 

"Seventy  years  have  done  much  for  this  goodly  land. 
They  have  burst  the  chains  of  oppression  and  monarchy,  and 
multiplied  its  inhabitants  from  two  to  twenty  millions,  with  a 
proportionate  share  of  knowledge  keen  enough  to  circumnavi- 
gate the  globe,  draw  the  lightning  from  the  clouds,  and  cope 
with  all  the  crowned  heads  of  the  world.  l^if 

"The  southern  people  are  hospitable  and  noble. f  They 
will  help  to  rid  so  free  a  country  of  every  vestige  of  slavery, 
whenever  they  are  assured  of  an  equivalent  for  their  property. 
******* 

"  We  have  had  Democratic  presidents,  Whig  presidents, 
a  pseudo-Democratic-Whig  president,  and  now  it  is  time  to 
have  a  president  of  the  United  States;  and  let  the  people  of  the 
whole  Union,  like  the  inflexible  Romans,  whenever  they  find 
a  promise  made  by  a  candidate  that  is  not  practiced  as  an  officer, 
hurl  the  miserable  sycophant  from  his  exaltation,  as  God  did 
Nebuchadnezzar,  to  crop  the  grass  of  the  field  with  a  beast's 
heart  among  the  cattle. 

******* 

"  In  the  United  States  the  people  are  the  government, 
and  their  united  voice  is  the  only  sovereign  that  should  rule, 
the  only  power  that  should  be  obeyed,  and  the  only  gentlemen 
that  should  be  honored  at  home  and  abroad,  on  the  land  and 
on  the  sea.  Wherefore,  were  I  the  president  of  the  United 
States,  by  the  voice  of  a  virtuous ,  people,  I  would  honor  the 
old  paths  of  the  venerated  fathers  of  freedom;  I  would  walk 
in  the  tracks  of  the  illustrious  patriots  who  carried  the  ark  of 
the  government  upon  their  shoulders  with  an  eye  single  to  the 
glory  of  the  people;  and  when  that  people  petitioned  to  abol- 
isli  slavery  in  the  slave  states,  I  would  use  all  honorable  means 
to  have  their  prayers  granted,  and  give  liberty  to  the  captive 
by  paying  the  southern  gentleman  a  reasonable  equivalent  for 
his  property,  that  the  whole  nation  might  be  free  indeed ! 
******* 

"  And  when  the  people  petitioned  to  possess  the  territory 
of  Oregon,  or  any  other  contiguous  territory,  I  would  lend  the 
influence  of  a  chief  magistrate  to  grant  so  reasonable  a  request, 
that  they  might  extend  the  mighty  efforts  and  enterprise  of  a 


446  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

free  people  from  the  east  to  the  west  sea,  and  make  the  wilder- 
ness blossom  as  the  rose.  And  when  a  neighboring  realm 
petitioned  to  join  the  union  of  the  sons  of  liberty,  my  voice 
would  be,  Come — yea,  come,  Texas;  come,  Mexico;  come, 
Canada;  and  come,  all  the  world;  let  us  be  brethren,  let  us  be 
one  great  family,  and  let  there  be  a  universal  peace. 

"  Abolish  the  cruel  custom  of  prisons  (except  in  certain 
cases),  penitentiaries,  court-martials  for  desertion;  and  let 
reason  and  friendship  reign  over  the  rains  of  ignorance  and 
barbarity ;  yea,  I  would,  as  the  universal  friend  of  man,  open 
the  prisons,  open  the  eyes,  open  the  ears,  and  open  the  hearts 
of  all  people,  to  behold  and  enjoy  freedom — unadulterated 
freedom ;  and  God,  who  once  cleansed  the  violence  of  the 
earth  with  a  flood,  whose  Son  laid  down  His  life  for  the  salva- 
tion of  all  Plis  Father  gave  Him  out  of  the  world,  and  who 
has  promised  that  He  will  come  and  purify  the  world  again 
with  fire  in  the  last  days,  should  be  supplicated  by  me  for  the 
good  of  all  people.*" 

To  enunciate  the  Prophet's  views,  for  the  salvation  of  the 
republic,  the  Twelve  Apostles  and  other  leading  Elders  were 
sent  throughout  the  land.  It  was  a  long  parting  with  Joseph 
for  most  of  the  Twelve.  One  of  their  number,  Wilford  Wood- 
ruff, says  : 

"Joseph  looked  upon  me  long  and  mournfully.  I  shall 
never  forget  his  look.  It  was  as  though  he  were  bidding  us 
an  eternal  farewell !  " 

*See  note  5,  Appendix. 


CHAPTER  LX. 

PACIFIC  ADDRESS  BY  THE  PROPHET — THE  MOB  ASK  GOD  TO  BLESS 
THEIR  WORK  OF  MASSACRE LOOKING  TO  THE  WEST A  SUB- 
LIME SERMON APOSTATES  AND  THEIR  WORK JOSEPH  IN- 
DICTED FOR  POLYGAMY. 

JOSEPH  had  endeavored  by  every  means  in  his  power  to  create 
pacific  feelings  between  the  Saints  and  the  other  citizens  of 
Illinois.  He  addressed  many  communications  to  the  public  in 
which  he  counseled  for  good  sense  and  good  order. 

One  of  his  appeals  for  peace  was  written  on  the  17th  of 
February,  1844.  That  same  day  an  anti-Mormon  convention 
was  held  at  Carthage,  the  object  being  to  devise  ways  and 
means  for  expelling  the  Saints  from  the  state  as  they  had  been 
driven  from  Missouri.  Among  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the 
meeting  was  one  appointing  the  9th  day  of  March  following 
as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  whereon  the  pious  of  all  the  sec- 
tarians were  to  supplicate  heaven  to  aid  their  efforts  against 
the  Prophet  and  his  people.  The  inciters  of  this  convention 
purposed  that  it  should  inaugurate  a  massacre;  and  yet  they 
were  so  blasphemous  as  to  pretend  to  ask  the  aid  of  the 
Almighty !  Their  real  supplication,  however,  was  addressed 
—not  to  the  realms  of  light,  but  to  the  prince  of  darkness. 

On  Sunday,  the  25th  day  of  February,  in  a  meeting  at  the 
assembly  room  of  the  Saints  in  Nauvoo,  Joseph  prophesied 
that  within  five  years  the  Saints  would  be  out  of  the  power  of 
their  old  enemies,  whether  apostates  or  of  the  world;  and  he 
asked  the  brethren  to  record  the  prediction. 

About  this  time  he  was  inspired  to  direct  the  glance  of  the 
Apostles  to  the  western  slope  where  he  said  the  people  of 
God  might  establish  themselves  anew,  worship  after  their  own 
sincere  convictions,  and  work  out  the  grand  social  problems  of 
modern  life.  This  subject  was  present  in  his  mind  and  often 
upon  his  lips  during  the  brief  remainder  of  his  earthly  exist- 


448  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

ence.  Frequent  councils  were  held  and  he  directed  the  organi- 
zation of  an  exploring  expedition  to  venture  beyond  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  seek  a  home  for  a  righteous  people  denied  every 
right  of  citizenship  within  the  boundaries  of  the  United 
States  then  existing.  His  purpose  was  not  to  sever  the  Saints 
from  this  sublime  republic  by  any  emigration;  he  saw  that  this 
country's  domain  must  soon  stretch  from  ocean  to  ocean.  The 
entire  land  of  North  and  South  America  was  the  Zion  of  the 
Lord,  and  the  people  might  settle  in  any  spot  where  peace 
could  be  enjoyed,  always  remembering  that  in  the  due  time  of 
the  Almighty  the  center  stake  must  be  built  up. 

Work  was  stopped  on  the  Nauvoo  house  by  the  Prophet's 
direction  and  every  effort  concentrated  upon  the  temple.  He 
determined  that  the  structure  should  be  fitted  to  receive 
the  worshiping  Saints  of  the  Most  High  before  they  should  go 
into  voluntary  exile  or  submit  to  expatriation.  And  though 
he  did  not  live  to  see  the  consummation  of  this  purpose,  it 
was  literally  fulfilled.  And  though  he  did  not  live  to  see  the 
exodus  -of  the  Saints  nor  to  send  out  the  first  pioneer  party  of 
explorers,  his  inspired  suggestion  was  carried  out;  and  through 
it  his  prediction  was  fulfilled  that  the  Saints  in  five  years 
should  be  beyond  the  power  of  their  old  enemies. 

In  March,  the  Prophet  addressed  a  memorial  to  Congress, 
asking  for  the  passage  of  an  ordinance  to  protect  citizens  of 
the  United  States  emigrating  into  the  western  region.  His 
purpose  was  to  advance,  under  national  authority,  beyond  the 
western  boundary  of  the  United  States  and  establish  Ameri- 
can citizens  in  this  vast  domain  preparatory  to  the  hour  when 
it  should  become  annexed  to  our  country.  The  ordinance  he 
himself  drafted,  and  in  its  provisions  he  betrayed  his  usual 
grandeur  of  purpose. 

A  special  conference  was  held  beginning  on  the  6th  day 
of  April,  1844,  at  which  Joseph  addressed  a  congregation  of 
twenty  thousand  people.  He  chose  for  his  subject  the  death 
of  Elder  King  Follett  who  had  died  a  few  days  before,  and  he 
uplifted  the  souls  of  the  congregation  to  a  higher  comprehen- 
sion of  the  glory  which  comes  after  death  to  the  faithful.  His 
address  ceased  to  be  a  mere  eulogy  of  an  individual  and 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  449 

became  a  revelation  of  eternal  truths  concerning  the  glories  of 
immortality.  The  address  occupied  three  hours  and  a  half  in 
delivery  and  the  multitude  were  held  spell-bound  by  its  power. 
The  Prophet  seemed  to  rise  above  the  world.  It  was  as  if  the 
light  of  heaven  already  encircled  his  physical  being.  In  a  few 
weeks  he  was  to  pass  through  the  portals  of  the  tomb  into  the 
radiance  beyond,  and  he  wanted  his  brethren  to  grasp  some  of 
the  sublimities  comprehended  by  his  own  inspired  soul.  Those 
who  heard  that  sermon  never  forgot  its  power.  Those  who 
survive  think  of  it  to-day  as  an  exhibition  of  superhuman 
power  and  eloquence. 

The  Judas  spirit  manifested  itself  in  Nauvoointhe  spring 
of  1844.  Alarmed  by  the  Prophet's  declaration  that  there 
was  a  right  hand  Brutus  near  him,  some  of  the  men  who  were 
willing  to  betray  him  feared  that  their  machinations  were  dis- 
covered and  that  vengeance  might  be  wreaked  upon  them. 
William  Law  and  William  Marks  both  feared  or  affected  to 
fear  for  their  lives.  They  made  complaint  which  reached  the 
ears  of  the  Prophet,  and  he  ordered  an  investigation  in  which 
they  were  allowed  the  fullest  license  to  examine  witnesses. 
The  result  was  to  show  to  them  how  utterly  groundless  was 
their  fear;  but  further  it  showed  to  all  the  Saints  that  these 
men  were  not  faithful.  The  people  said : 

"Is  it  possible  that  Brother  Law  or  Brother  Marks  is  a 
traitor  and  would  deliver  Joseph  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies 
in  Missouri?  If  not,  what  can  be  the  meaning  of  this?  The 
righteous  are  bold  as  a  lion." 

Joseph  merely  quoted: 

"  The  wicked  flee  when  no  man  pursueth." 

But  from  this  time  on  he  knew  from  what  quarter  to 
expect  the  kiss  of  Judas.  Jealousy  of  the  Prophet  and  their  per- 
sonal impurity  led  several  leading  men  to  apostasy  and  to  a 
thirst  for  Joseph's  blood.  Among  them  were  William  Law, 
Wilson  Law,  Chauncey  L.  Higbee,  Francis  M.  Higbee  and 
Robert  D.  Foster.  They  became  his  avowed  enemies ;  but  in 
secret  sympathy  with  them  were  Sidney  Rigdon,  William 
Marks  and  Austin  A.  Cowles. 

William  Law  was    the  leader    of  the   movement.      He 

29 


450  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

declared  that  Joseph  was  a  fallen  Prophet,  and  he  attempted  to 
set  up  a  church  of  his  own.  These  apostates  sought  by  every 
means  in  their  power  to  precipitate  bloodshed  in  iTauvoo.  They 
flagrantly  violated  the  law;  insulted,  abused  and  threatened 
the  officers ;  usurped  official  prerogatives ;  attempted  to  shoot 
Joseph ;  and  spread  throughout  the  country,  and  even  beyond 
its  confines,  the  most  wicked  misrepresentations  and  com- 
plaints concerning  Joseph  arid  the  municipal  administration 
of  Nauvoo. 

The  Prophet  had  long  known  of  their  treachery  and  had 
warned  the  Saints  that  Judases  were  in  their  midst,  without 
naming  the  individuals.  He  knew  that  in  a  little  time  the 
traitors  would  betray  themselves.  When  this  expectation  of 
the  Prophet's  was  realized  and  the  Saints  were  enabled  to  see 
the  perfidy  of  these  men,  they  were  excommunicated. 

After  this  it  seemed  as  if  Satan  was  turned  loose  in  their 
souls.  Having  no  longer  any  profit  in  concealment  they 
blazoned  forth  their  hatred  for  the  Prophet  and  their  own 
iniquities.  Some  of  them  confessed  that  they  knew  that  their 
sins  were  finding  them  out  and  that  they  would  soon  have  no 
reputation  to  lose  anyhow,  and  therefore  they  would  persecute 
the  Prophet  and  try  to  drag  him  down  with  them.  At  this 
time  anonymous  letters  threatening  the  lives  of  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  were  received  and  every  conceivable  annoyance  was 
perpetrated  upon  them. 

The  missionary  labor  had  not  slackened.  While  Satan 
was  moving  the  powers  of  earth  and  the  infernal  regions  to 
slay  the  Prophet,  despoil  the  city  and  break  the  growing 
strength  of  righteousness,  missionaries  were  being  sent  into 
every  field.  Under  date  of  Friday,  May  17, 1844,  the  Prophet 
records  among  other  similar  events,  that  Elder  Franklin  D. 
Richards,  then  a  faithful  youth  and  now  a  renowned  Apostle 
of  the  Church,  was  ordained  a  High  Priest  and  set  apart  to  go 
on  a  mission  to  England. 

On  Saturday,  the  25th  day  of  May,  1844,  ths  Prophet  was 
informed  that  he  had  been  indicted  at  Carthage  for  the  alleged 
offenses  of  polygamy  and  perjury  on  the  testimony  of  William 
Law  and  others.  Two  days  later  learning  that  warrants  were 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  451 

out  for  him  from  the  circuit  court  upon  these  indictments,  he 
determined  to  proceed  to  Carthage  and  give  himself  up.  He 
had  a  double  purpose  to  serve  in  this  action:  He  desired  as 
usual  to  show  his  respect  for  law  and  legal  process ;  and  he 
wanted  to  avoid  bavins:  a  Carthage  mob  come  into  Nauvoo  to 

O  O 

serve  the  writs.  At  Carthage  he  was  informed  by  Charles 
Foster  and  other  apostates,  who  repented  their  purpose  for  the 
moment,  that  a  plot  had  been  laid  for  his  death  and  that  it  was 
determined  that  he  should  not  leave  that  place  alive.  He 
secured  lawyers  and  endeavored  to  have  his  case  brought  for- 
ward for  trial ;  but  the  prosecution  insisted  upon  delay  and 
secured  a  postponement  until  the  next  term.  In  the  mean- 
time Joseph  was  to  be  released  on  bail  satisfactory  to  the 
sheriff ;  and  that  officer  told  him  to  go  his  way  without  bonds 
until  called  upon. 

His  friends  gathered  around  him  when  he  prepared  to 
depart  for  home,  and  by  this  means  his  life  was  saved,  for 
armed  men  threatened  him  and  tried  by  force  and  stratagem 
to  detain  him  in  Carthage  until  after  dark  that  they  might  the 
better  accomplish  the  assassination.  But  he  knew  their  plot 
and  departed,  riding  Joe  Duncan  and  accompanied  by  Hyrum 
and  others,  and  reached  home  at  9  o'clock  that  evening. 


CHAPTER    LXL 

THE    FIRST    AND    ONLY    ISSUB    OF    THE    NAUVOO 

MURDEROUS  PURPOSE — REMOVAL  OF    A   NUISANCE    AND  ERADI- 
CATION OF  ITS  CAUSE TRIAL  OF  THE  MAYOR  AND  OTHERS,  AND 

THEIR    ACQUITTAL  IN  AN    HONEST    COURT GATHERING  OF   THE 

MOBS THREATS     OF     EXTERMINATION NAUVOO    UNDER    MAR- 
TIAL LAW. 

"  THE  publishers  deem  it  a  sacred  duty  they  owe  to  their  coun- 
try and  their  fellow-citizens  to  advocate,  through  the  columns 
of  the  Expositor,  the  unconditional  repeal  of  the  Nauvoo  city 
charter." 

This  was  one  of  the  statements  in  the  prospectus  for  a 
newspaper  to  he  issued  at  Nauvoo  by  the  Laws,  Higbees  and 
Fosters.  These  men  had  been  excommunicated  from  the 
Church  for  their  personal  impurity  and  for  plotting  murder. 
With  their  wickedness  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  the  world  they 
had  no  longer  any  reputation  at  stake ;  they  associated  with 
gamblers,  counterfeiters  and  thieves;  and  their  great  desire 
was,  by  every  means  in  their  power,  fair  or  foul,  to  injure  their 
former  brethren. 

The  charter  of  a  city  is  inestimable  to  the  citizens.  With- 
out it  rapid  advancement  is  difficult  if  not  impossible,  Nau- 
voo  had  grown  into  prominence,  and  gave  promise  of  becom- 
ing an  important  commercial  and  industrial  center.  The 
apostates  knew  well  the  vital  point  at  which  to  direct  their 
blow.  Not  only  would  they  paralyze  every  industry  by  secur- 
ing the  repeal  of  the  charter,  but  they  would  turn  the  city 
over  to  the  dictation  of  hostile  county  and  state  officials ;  so 
that  financial  ruin  and  personal  distress  would  be  inflicted 
upon  many  of  the  people.  To  this  end,  they  leagued  them- 
selves with  kindred  spirits  whose  evil  efforts  they  could  rely 
upon.  The  class  of  allies  which  they  secured  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  one  of  their  associates  was  known  to  them,  and  was 
afterwards  proven,  to  be  a  fugitive  murderer. 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  453 

Among  the  minor  purposes  avowed  in  this  prospectus  for 
the  issuance  of  the  newspaper,  was  the  advocacy  of  the  pure 
principles  of  morality.  This  was  a  high  sounding  pretence  to 
create  favor  abroad.  The  Laws,  the  Higbees  and  the  Fosters 
cared  nothing  for  morality,  except  to  abuse  it.  With  them  it 
was  but  a  cloak.  They  had  become  accustomed  to  use  it  for 
a  covering  for  vile  purposes.  This  was  not  the  first  time  nor 
this  the  last,  when  evil  men — cast  out  by  the  Church  for  sexual 
sin — made  great  pretence  in  print  of  their  morality  and  sought 
to  charge  offences  upon  men  faithful  and  pure. 

They  announced  that  they  would  exercise  "  the  freedom 
of  speech  in  Nauvoo,  independent  of  the  ordinances  abridg- 
ing the  same;"  and  that  the  end  would  justify  the  means. 
The  only  restriction  upon  speech  in  ]N"auvoo  was  the  forbidding 
of  slander  and  immorality,  and  unless  these  men  had  intended 
to  work  evil  with  their  paper  they  need  not  have  promised  to, 
transgress  the  law. 

But  their  purpose  was  not  to  convince  the  people  of 
Nauvoo;  it  was  to  create  sentiment  abroad  and  to  this  end 
slander  and  falsehood  were  necessary.  They  were  not  the 
first  men  shrewd  enough  to  see  that  the  publication,  within 
any  city,  of  statements  adverse  to  the  community  would  be 
accepted  abroad  as  current  fact.  Their  plan  was  devised  with 
satanic  ingenuity :  If  the  Expositor  were  allowed  to  print  its 
defamations  and  falsehoods  unchecked,  the  world  would 
believe  that  all  they  said  was  true,  and  overwhelming  senti- 
ment would  be  created  against  Xauvoo  and  its  people;  if  their 
press  was  stayed  in  its  crime,  they  would  cry  that  freedom  of 
speech  was  assailed — and  nothing  appeals  more  quickly  to  the 
sympathy  of  Americans  than  this  same  cry,  whether  it  is 
uttered  sincerely  or  only  by  wretches  who  want  license  to 
traduce  and  defame  innocence. 

There  was  no  disposition  to  restrain  these  publishers 
from  printing  their  paper  in  Xauvoo.  Their  announcement 
was  made  on  the  10th  of  May,  1844:  they  brought  press  and 
materials  into  the  city,  and  began  their  work  with  as  much 
protection  and  safety  as  any  other  publisher  there.  On  the 
7th  of  June  next,  they  were  prepared  to  put  forth  the  first 


454  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

number  of  the  paper.  All  at  once  a  fear  came  upon  them. 
They  knew  the  man  whom  they  wished  to  make  their  chief 
victim — Joseph  Smith;  they  knew  his  truth,  dignity  and 
strength;  they  knew  that  he  would  not  supinely  submit  to  the 
ruin  of  the  city  and  the  defamation  of  its  good  men  and 
women  by  such  wretches  as  these  publishers  were  known  to  be ; 
they  knew  that  if  they  committed  crime  they  would  be  called 
to  answer  for  it  if  the  Prophet  lived.  So  on  the  very  day  that 
the  paper  was  to  come  forth  burdened  with  lies,  Robert  D. 
Foster  went  to  the  mansion  and  demanded  a  private  interview 
with  Joseph.  He  asked  the  Prophet  to  go  away  with  him 
alone,  pretending  that  he  wished  to  return  to  the  Church  and 
wanted  to  confer  upon  that  subject,  Joseph  refused  to  talk 
except  in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  for  this  man  Foster  had 
often  before  misrepresented  the  Prophet's  words.  Joseph 
said  to  him  that  there  was  but  one  condition  upon  which  he 
might  return  and  that  was  to  repent  and  to  make  restitution 
as  far  as  possible. 

While  they  stood  talking  Joseph  put  his  hand  upon 
Foster's  vest  and  said:  "What  have  you  concealed  there?" 

Foster  stammered  in  reply:  "It's  my  pistol." 

He  would  have  lied,  but  under  that  piercing  glance  his 
bravado  deserted  him,  and  he  was  compelled  to  acknowledge 
the  fact. 

The  reason  of  his  visit  was  soon  made  plain,  and  it  was 
made  plainer  at  a  later  time  by  the  testimony  of  unimpeacha- 
ble witnesses,  Saints  and  strangers  alike.  He  had  not  come  to 
seek  forgiveness  and  restoration  of  fellowship;  he  had  not 
come  to  make  amends.  He  had  come  to  lure  Joseph  away  to 
his  death.  His  party  had  sworn  to  slay  the  Prophet,  and  every 
attempt  up  to  this  time  had  failed.  The  situation  was  desper- 
ate for  the  plotters.  They  were  about  to  commit  a  flagrant 
violation  of  the  law,  and  the  one  man  whom  they  most  feared 
as  the  defender  and  executor  of  law  was  the  mayor  of  the  city. 
If  they  could  have  taken  Joseph  away  where  his  assassination 
could  have  been  accomplished  without  the  instant  capture  of 
his  murderer,  they  believed  that  safe  refuge  could  be  found  in 
the  bosom  of  the  waiting  mob  at  Carthage  and  other  places. 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  555 

Joseph  only  smiled  upon  the  craven  wretch,  and  told  him 
to  bring  his  witnesses  if  he  desired  and  they  would  confer  con- 
cerning his  restoration  to  fellowship.  This,  Foster  willingly 
promised  and  left  the  mansion,  saying  that  he  would  return 
with  his  friends  immediately.  He  never  came  back.  His 
answer  was  to  send  forth  the  Expositor,  edited  by  Sylvester 
Emmons,  reeking  with  libel  and  fulfilling  its  promise  to  over- 
ride the  law  in  its  determination  to  deal  a  death  blow  at  the 
the  city  of  Nauvoo.  Naturally  the  inhabitants  were  enraged. 
Citizens  said : 

"  If  these  men  do  not  like  Nauvoo,  why  do  they  continue 
to  reside  here?  The  repeal  of  the  charter  means  the  financial 
and  social  ruin  of  the  city.  This  would  despoil  us  without 
benefiting  these  men,  except  by  the  gratification  of  vengeful 
hate." 

It  would  have  been  easy  in  that  state  of  public  feeling  to 
incite  an  attack  upon  the  paper  or  its  publishers.  But  the 
leading  men  remained  cool  and  counseled  strict  observance  of 
law.  Let  this  be  remembered;  for  it  shows  that  Joseph  was 
never  willing  to  meet  evil  with  evil;  that  he  would  rather  suf- 
fer wrong  than  to  do  wrong;  and  that  his  appeal  was  always 
made  to  law  and  justice  instead  of  passion.  And  let  it  be 
remembered  that  not  only  then  but  afterward  through  all  the 
difficulties  which  followed  closely  upon  the  publication  of  the 
Expositor,  the  lives  of  the  Laws,  the  Higbees  and  the  Fosters 
were  as  safe  in  Nauvoo  as  they  would  have  been  in  Carthage, 
Springfield  or  Washington. 

Three  days  later,  June  10th,  at  a  meeting  of  the  city 
council  the  Expositor  was  declared  a  public  nuisance  and  was 
ordered  to  be  abated.  Under  the  resolution  to  this  effect  the 
marshal  was  ordered  to  proceed  as  he  would  for  the  removal 
of  any  other  nuisance — he  was  to  eradicate  it.  If  a  vile  odor 
assail  the  nostrils  of  decent  people,  the  only  effectual  remedy 
is  to  abolish  the  cause;  and  such  was  the  course  pursued  in 
this  case.  Marshal  John  P.  Greene  with  his  assistants  pro- 
ceeded to  the  office  of  the  Expositor  and  destroyed  the  press 
and  pied  the  type. 

This  was  summary  action;  but  it  was  legal.      It  was  the 


456  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

only  remedy  for  any  public  or  private  wrong  inflicted  by  the 
Expositor.  Its  publishers  were  impecunious.  Suits  for  private 
redress  or  fines  for  public  recompense  would  have  been  unavail- 
ing; while  the  imprisonment  of  the  publishers  would  have 
been  heralded  as  a  still  greater  wrong  against  the  freedom 
of  the  press  than  was  the  destruction  of  the  offending 
materials. 

Immediate  events  showed  that  the  league  to  ruin  Nauvoo 
by  newspaper  lies  was  widely  extended,  for  mobocratic  excite- 
ment outside  of  Nauvoo  arose  on  the  instant,  and  wholesale 
and  indiscriminate  vengeance  was  threatened. 

And  yet  the  destruction  of  an  offending  press  was  not  new 
in  Illinois.  Thomas  Ford  was  governor  at  this  time,  and  in 
the  awful  crimes  which  closely  followed  he  was  the  responsible 
participant.  It  is  interesting,  therefore,  to  note  what  he  said 
of  a  similar  destruction  of  an  unpopular  press  and  type,  at 
another  time  and  in  another  community.  In  his  history  of 
Illinois,  published  after  his  death  to  get  bread  for  his  destitute 
children,  he  details  the  proceedings  of  the  Alton  mob.  In 
1837,  Reverend  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
published  the  Alton,  Illinois,  Observer  as  a  religious  paper,  in 
which  slavery  was  opposed.  Abolitionism  was  not  popular 
there  and  to  quote  Ford's  words :  "  The  people  assembled  and 
quietly  took  the  press  and  type  and  threw  them  into  the  Mis- 
sissippi. It  now  became  manifest  to  all  rational  men  that 
the  Alton  Observer  could  no  longer  be  published  in  Alton 
as  an  abolition  paper.  The  more  reasonable  of  the  abolition- 
ists themselves  thought  it  would  be  useless  to  try  it  again. 
However,  a  few  of  them,  who  were  most  violent  seemed  to  think 
that  the  salvation  of  the  black  race  depended  upon  continuing 
the  publication  at  Alton."  Certain  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  determined  to  continue  this  paper.  One  of  the 
principal  men  engaged  in  the  movement  to  re-establish  the 
Observer  was  Reverend  Mr.  Beecher,  president  of  Illinois  col- 
lege ;  and  of  him  Ford  says :  "  Mr.  Beecher  was  a  man  of  great 
learning  and  decided  talents;  but  he  belonged  to  the  class  of 
reformers  who  disregard  all  considerations  of  policy  and 
expediency.  He  believed  slavery  to  be  a  sin  and  a  great  evil,  and 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  457 

his  indignant  and  impatient  soul  could  not  await  God's  own  good 
time  to  overthrow  it,  by  acts  of  His  providence  working  continual 
change  and  revolution  in  the  affairs  of  men."  A  new  press  was 
bought,  and  it  was  determined  that  Love  joy,  who  was  very 
objectionable  to  the  rabble,  should  continue  as  editor.  After 
the  arrival  of  the  press  it  was  guarded  in  a  warehouse;  but 
the  mob  gathered  and  demanded  its  possession.  Ford  speaks 
of  the  protectors  of  the  press  as  being  converted  into  demons 
of  obstinacy.  A  fight  occurred,  the  mob  being  the  first  assail- 
ants. Lovejoy  and  one  of  the  mobocrats  were  killed;  other 
men  were  wounded.  The  press  was  seized  arid,  like  the  other, 
it  was  thrown  into  the  river — although  not  a  single  copy  of 
the  paper  had  yet  been  printed  with  these  materials.  No  man 
was  punished  for  this  crime  of  abolishing  a  free  press  at  the 
expense  of  murder.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  will  of  a 
community,  in  other  parts  of  Illinois,  was  considered  sufficient 
without  legal  process  to  secure  the  extinction  of  an  obnoxious 
paper  and  the  perpetual  silence  of  its  editor — the  silence  of 
death  by  assassination.  In  Nauvoo  no  such  high-handed  course 
was  pursued:  no  man  was  injured  in  his  person;  and  the 
destroying  of  the  press  was  in  pursuance  of  a  municipal  order. 
At  Alton,  the  unpopular  publishers  advocated  merely  a  national 
reform,  in  the  highest  interest  of  human  liberty  and  morality; 
at  Nauvoo  the  publishers  attacked  the  most  vital  local  well- 
being  and  assailed  the  character  of  the  community  for  the  pur- 
pose of  advancing  an  immoral  purpose  and  gratifying  the 
revenge  of  lustful  men.  At  Nauvoo,  the  publishers  had  prac- 
tically avowed  their  intention  to  incite  a  mob  to  come  upon  the 
city ;  and  the  matter  printed  in  the  first  and  only  issue  of  their 
paper  was  manifestly  of  a  character  to  aid  the  sanguinary 
plot. 

There  had  not  been  the  slightest  excitement  or  unneces- 
sary noise  in  the  act  of  removing  the  nuisance;  and,  this  done, 
the  people  of  the  city  drew  a  breath  of  relief.  The  Expositor 
had  been  an  invitation  to  the  gathering  mobs  of  Hancock 
County  to  descend  upon  Nauvoo  and  injure  its  people  and 
property.  It  had  been  calculated  to  inflame  the  worst  passions 
of  lawless  men  and  to  produce  murder.  In  its  suppression 


458  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

the  people  felt  that  only  ordinary  prudence  and  official  vigor 
had  been  shown.  To  allay  any  possible  excitement  the 
mayor  issued  a  proclamation  in  which  he  detailed  the  destruc- 
tion by  the  municipal  order  of  the  Expositor  press  and  type, 
and  called  upon  every  citizen  to  keep  the  peace  by  being  cool, 
considerate,  virtuous,  unoffending,  manly  and  patriotic.  The 
villains  who  had  published  the  paper  threatened  everything 
in  the  city  with  destruction.  One  of  their  sympathizers 
declared  that  he  would  wade  to  his  knees  in  blood;  others  said 
that  the  city  should  be  wiped  out  before  "ten  suns  had  set." 
They  sent  runners  out  in  all  directions  to  bring  the  mob  upon 
Nauvoo. 

A  little  after  noon  on  the  12th  day  of  June,  Constable 
David  Bettisworth  came  to  Nauvoo  from  Carthage  with  a 
warrant  for  the  arrest  of  Joseph  Smith,  Samuel  Bennett, 
John  Taylor,  William  W.  Phelps,  Hyrum  Smith,  John  P. 
Greene,  Stephen  Perry,  Dimick  B.  Huntington,  Jonathan 
Dunham,  Stephen  Mark  ham,  William  Edwards,  Jonathan 
Harmon,  Jesse  P.  Harmon,  John  Lytle,  Joseph  W.  Coolidge, 
Harvey  D.  Redfield,  Porter  Rockwell  and  Levi  Richards, 
upon  a  complaint  sworn  to  by  Francis  M.  Higbee  charging 
the  parties  named  with  committing  a  riot.  The  writ  was 
issued  by  Thomas  Morrison,  justice  of  the  peace  at  Carthage, 
and  commanded  the  officer  to  bring  the  parties  named  before 
Morrison  or  some  other  justice  of  the  peace  within  the  county. 
Bettisworth  immediately  upon  arriving  at  Nauvoo  served  this 
warrant  upon  Joseph  and  afterward  upon  the  others  named 
therein.  Joseph  called  his  attention  to  the  clause  in  the  writ, 
"before  me  or  some  other  justice  of  the  peace  of  said  county," 
and  demanded  to  be  taken  before  Esquire  Johnson  or  some 
other  justice  of  the  peace  in  Nauvoo.  Hyrum  made  the  same 
demand.  Many  people  were  present,  and  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
called  upon  them  to  witness  that  they  offered  themselves  in 
answer  to  the  writ  to  go  forth  before  the  nearest  justice  of  the 
peace.  This  was  strictly  in  accordance  with  law;  but  it  did 
not  answer  the  purpose  of  the  mobocrats  either  at  Nauvoo  or 
Carthage,  and  Bettisworth  said:  "I  will  be  damned  but  I 
will  carry  you  before  Justice  Morrison  at  Carthage." 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  459 

As  he  still  held  them  in  custody  and  was  determined  to 
drag  them  away  from  Nauvoo,  Joseph  sued  out  a  writ  of 
habeas  corpus  in  the  municipal  court,  and  upon  the  full  show- 
ing there  he  was  discharged.  Later  all  the  other  brethren 
named  in  the  writ  took  the  same  course,  and  secured  their 
release. 

On  the  14th  of  June  the  mayor  addressed  a  letter  of 
explanation  to  Governor  Ford,  in  which  the  entire  proceedings 
against  the  Expositor  were  fairly  detailed.  Joseph  stated  to 
the  governor  that  if  Ford  were  not  satisfied  that  the  whole 
transaction  had  been  in  accordance  with  the  strictest  principles 
of  law  and  the  requirements  of  good  order,  he  would  only 
have  to  write  his  wishes  and  the  mayor  and  all  persons  par- 
ticipating in  the  suppression  of  the  Expositor  would  go  before 
Judge  Pope  or  any  legal  tribunal  at  the  capital  and  submit  to 
judicial  investigation.  They  would  not  even  trouble  his  Excel- 
lency to  send  a  writ  or  an  officer,  but  would  respond  promptly 
to  any  letter  advising  them  of  his  wish.  Other  men  in  Nauvoo, 
some  of  them  prominent  visitors  there,  wrote  to  Ford  at  the 
same  time  declaring  that  no  excitement  had  prevailed,  that 
the  proceedings  had  been  calmly  and  legally  taken,  and  that 
the  action  of  the  municipality  in  ridding  itself  of  such  a 
menace  to  peace  and  life  was  entirely  commendable. 

On  the  16th  day  of  June,  Judge  Jesse  B.  Thomas  came 
to  Nauvoo  and  advised  the  mayor  and  the  other  men  named 
in  Morrison's  warrant  to  go  before  some  justice  of  the  peace 
in  the  county  and  be  examined  upon  the  charge  named 
therein.  Judge  Thomas  said  that  if  they  would  do  this  and 
should  be  acquitted  or  bound  over,  all  excitement  would  be 
allayed,  the  mob  would  be  left  without  a  pretext,  and  he  him- 
self would  be  bound  to  compel  the  mobocrats  to  keep  the 
peace.  Joseph  and  his  brethren  expressed  their  readiness  to 
submit  to  any  fair  investigation.  The  next  day  upon  the 
complaint  of  W.  G.  Ware,  they  were  arrested  by  Constable 
Joel  S.  Miles,  on  a  writ  issued  by  Daniel  H.  Wells  for  a  riot 
in  destroy  ing  the  Nauvoo  Expositor  press.  They  all  submitted 
to  this  process,  and  went  before  Justice  Wells,  who,  at  this 
time,  it  must  be  remembered,  was  not  a  member  of  the 


460  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Church.  After  a  long  and  close  examination  it  appeared  to 
the  court  that  they  had  not  proceeded  illegally  and  they  were 
discharged. 

As  mobs  in  various  parts  of  the  county  continued  to 
menace  Nauvoo,  the  Prophet  sent  several  letters  and  mes- 
sengers to  keep  the  governor  informed.  Samuel  James  went 
to  Springfield  on  the  15th  of  June,  and  Edward  Hunter  with 
Philip  B.  Lewis  and  John  Bills  went  on  the  17th.  To  Elder 
Edward  Hunter,  Joseph  said  as  he  was  leaving:  "I  charge 
you  solemnly  to  tell  the  governor  everything  you  know  con- 
cerning me,  good  or  bad." 

The  most  outrageous  falsehoods  were  being  circulated  to 
inflame  the  people  against  Nauvoo.  Upon  this  point  Gov- 
ernor Ford  in  his  history  of  Illinois  says: 

"  A  system  of  excitement  and  agitation  was  artfully 
planned  [by  the  mob  leaders]  and  executed  with  tact.  It  con- 
sisted in  spreading  reports  and  rumors  of  the  most  fearful 
character.  As  examples: — On  the  morning  before  my  arrival 
at  Carthage,  I  was  awrakened  at  an  early  hour  by  the  frightful 
report,  which  was  asserted  with  confidence  and  apparent  con- 
sternation, that  the  Mormons  had  already  commenced  the 
work  of  burning,  destruction  and  murder;  and  that  every 
man  capable  of  bearing  arms  was  instantly  wanted  at  Carth- 
age, for  the  protection  of  the  country.  We  lost  no  time  in 
starting;  but  when  we  arrived  at  Carthage  we  could  hear  no 
more  concerning  this  story.  Again:  during  the  few  days  that 
the  militia  were  encamped  at  Carthage,  frequent  applications 
were  made  to  me  to  send  a  force  here  and  a  force  there,  and  a 
force  all  about  the  country,  to  prevent  murders,  robberies  and 
larcenies,  which,  it  was  said,  were  threatened  by  the  Mormons. 
No  such  forces  were  sent:  nor  were  any  such  offences  com- 
mitted at  that  time,  except  the  stealing  of  some  provisions, 
and  there  was  never  the  least  proof  that  this  was  done  by  a 
Mormon.  Again  :  on  my  late  visit  to  Hancock  County,  I  was 
informed  by  some  of  their  violent  enemies,  that  the  larcenies 
of  the  Mormons  had  become  unusually  numerous  and  insuf- 
ferable. They  indeed  admitted  that  but  little  had  been  done 
in  this  way  in  their  immediate  vicinity.  But  they  insisted 
that  sixteen  horses  had  been  stolen  by  the  Mormons  in  one 
night,  near  Lima,  in  the  county  of  Adams.  At  the  close  of 
the  expedition,  I  called  at  this  same  town  of  Lima,  and  upon 
inquiry  was  told  that  no  horses  had  been  stolen  in  that  neigh- 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  461 

borhood,  but  that  sixteen  horses  had  been  stolen  in  one  night 
in  Hancock  County.  This  last  informant  being  told  of  the 
Hancock  story,  again  changed  the  venue  to  another  distant 
settlement  in  the  northern  edge  of  Adams." 

5fj  *  *  *  * 

"  Occasional  threats  came  to  my  ears  of  destroying  the 
city  and  murdering  or  expelling  the  inhabitants." 

*  *  *  *  # 

"  Frequent  appeals  had  been  made  to  me  to  make  a  clean 
and  thorough  work  of  the  matter  by  exterminating  the 
Mormons." 

The  Warsaw  Signal,  edited  by  an  infamous  man  by  the 
name  of  Thomas  Sharp,  took  a  prominent  and  diabolical  part 
in  arousing  the  spirit  of  murder.  It  published  the  minutes  of 
mob  meetings  and  resolutions  adopted  there,  in  which  the 
most  fiendish  threats  were  made.  Some  of  them  are  a  follows: 

"We  therefore  declare  that  we  will  sustain  our  press  and 
the  editor  at  all  hazards ;  that  we  will  take  full  vengeance, 
terrible  vengeance,  should  the  lives  of  any  of  our  citizens  be 
lost  in  the  effort;  that  we  hold  ourselves  at  all  times  in 
readiness  to  co-operate  with  our  fellow-citizens  in  this  state, 
Missouri  and  Iowa,  to  exterminate-,  utterly  exterminate  the  wicked 
and  abominable  Mormon  leaders,  the  authors  of  our  troubles. 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  forth- 
with to  notify  all  persons  in  our  township  suspected  of  being 
the  tools  of  the  Prophet  to  leave  immediately  on  pain  of 
instant  vengeance.  And  we  do  recommend  the  inhabitants  of  the 
adjacent  townships  to  do  the  same,  hereby  pledging  ourselves  to 
render  all  the  assistance  they  may  require. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  timer  in  our  opinion  has  arrived,, 
when  the  adherents  of  Smith,  as  a  body,  should  be  driven 
from  the  surrounding  settlements  into  Nauvoo.  That  the 
Prophet  and  his  miscreant  adherents  should  then  be 
demanded  at  their  hands;  and,  if  not  surrendered,  a  war  of 
extermination  should  be  waged,  to  the  entire  destruction,  if  neces- 
sary for  our  protection,  of  his  adherents.  And  we  do  hereby 
recommend  this  resolution  to  the  consideration  of  the  several 
townships,  to  the  mass  convention  to  be  held  at  Carthage, 
hereby  pledging  ourselves  to  aid  to  the  utmost  the  complete 
consummation  of  the  object  in  view,  that  we  may  thereby  be 
utterly  relieved  of  the  alarm,  anxiety  and  trouble  to  which 
we  are  now  subjected. 


462  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

"Resolved,  That  every  citizen  arm  himself  to  be  prepared 
to  sustain  the  resolutions  herein  contained." 

It  was  further  resolved  that  a  deputation  be  sent  to 
Springfield  to  solicit  executive  help,  but  the  intention  was 
expressed  not  to  allow  the  mob  movement  to  be  retarded  by 
this  action.  The  mobs  at  Warsaw  and  Carthage  pretended  to 
believe  that  the  destruction  of  the  Warsaw  Signal  office  had 
been  threatened  by  Hyrum  Smith.  The  statement  to  this 
effect  was  of  a  piece  with  the  lies  told  to  the  governor.  No 
threat  had  been  made  against  the  Signal  office  or  the  editor, 
and  the  mob  well  knew  that  any  attack  from  the  citizens  of 
Nauvoo  upon  anybody  in  Carthage  or  Warsaw  was  out  of  the 
question. 

The  mail  communications  of  the  Saints  were  cut  off  with 
the  connivance  of  officials. 

A  company  of  the  mob  numbering  three  hundred,  began 
training  at  Carthage  on  the  13th  day  of  June.  Arms  were 
brought  to  Warsaw  and  Carthage  from  Quincy  and  other 
places.  On  the  17th  of  June,  fifteen  hundred  Missourians 
were  reported  to  have  crossed  the  river  and  joined  the  rabble 
at  Warsaw.  Five  pieces  of  artillery  had  already  been  brought 
to  the  latter  place.  From  Warsaw  the  mob  forces  were  to 
proceed  to  Carthage  and  join  the  Quincy  Greys  and  other 
companies  from  Adams  County.  Scattering  from  here  it  was 
their  purpose  to  seize  the  arms  of  all  the  Saints  in  Hancock 
County,  outside  of  Nauvoo,  and  compel  them  to  recant  their 
faith  or  be  exterminated.  They  declared  that  they  would  take 
Joseph  and  Hyrum  and  the  city  council  from  Nauvoo  on 
Thursday,  the  20th  of  June,  and  deliver  them  up  to  sacrifice. 
If  any  resistance  were  offered,  the  city  would  be  shelled  and 
all  the  inhabitants  slaughtered  or  driven  away.  One  of  the 
mob  leaders  was  Levi  Williams,  a  colonel  of  militia  and  a 
Baptist  preacher,  and  to  such  as  he  was  due  the  attempt  to 
make  the  Saints  recant. 

No  word  came  from  the  governor.  Was  the  city  to  be 
left  to  massacre,  pillage,  ravishment,  like  Far  West !  Forbid 
it,  Heaven  ! 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  463 

Under  these  circumstances,  nothing  remained  but  to  pre- 
pare for  resistance — not  attack,  only  defence.  The  mayor,  on 
the  18th  of  June,  1844,  declared  the  city  of  Nauvoo  under 
martial  law,  and  called  out  the  Legion  to  protect  the  city 
from  rapine  and  its  people  from  massacre  by  the  mob. 


CHAPTEE    LXII. 

JOSEPH'S    DREAM — HIS    LAST     PUBLIC     ADDRESSES — CONSCIOUSNESS 
OF    HIS     IMPENDING     FATE HIS     LOVE     FOR     HIS     BRETHREN. 

EVENTS  were  now  hurrying  on  to  the  last  awful  scene.  Joseph 
saw  the  sacrificial  cup  prepared  for  him  and  knew  that  he 
must  drink  its  bitter  draught.  As  he  draws  nearer  to  the 
final  hour  clearer  and  clearer  becomes  his  mind,  more  nearly 
divine  are  his  works,  and  more  closely  do  we  see  the  likeness 
to  the  sacred  Master  of  whom  Joseph  deemed  himself  but  the 
humblest  follower.  It  is  no  mere  accidental  similarity  this 
betrayal  of  the  modern  Prophet  by  the  modern  Judas  and  this 
sacrifice  of  a  holy  name  to  glut  the  hate  of  Pharisees.  The 
Prophet's  work  is  almost  done.  More  plainly  as  the  supreme 
moment  draws  on  he  tells  his  followers  of  the  fate  awaiting 
him.  At  first  they  scarcely  understand,  so  used  are  they  to 
see  him  in  the  midst  of  peril.  It  may  be  that  the  vision  of 
the  end  is  opened  to  Hyrum's  view,  for  he  will  not  leave  his 
brother's  side.  They  have  loved  in  life,  the  elder  brother 
living  by  the  other's  prophetic  words,  and  in  death  they  shall 
not  be  separated.  Joseph  says :  "  Hyrum,  take  your  family 
on  the  next  boat  to  Cincinnati.  I  want  you  to  live  to  avenge 
me."  Hyrum  replies:  "  Joseph,  I  will  not  leave  you."  It  is 
not  a  vengeance  of  blood  that  the  Prophet  means :  it  is  the 
triumph  of  the  work  over  all  murderous  mobs,  a  triumph  in 
which  he  wants  his  faithful  brother  to  share  in  the  flesh. 


464  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

After  the  traitors  had  gone  out  from  Nauvoo  to  join  with 
the  Pharisees  in  raising  a  mob,  the  Prophet  related  a  dream 
to  his  brethren,  assembled  in  meeting.  He  said  that  he  thought 
he  was  riding  in  a  carriage,  and  his  guardian  angel  was  with 
him.  They  saw  two  serpents  in  the  road  firmly  locked 
together,  and  the  angel  told  him  that  these  were  two  of  his 
traitorous  enemies,  Robert  Foster  and  Chauncey  Higbee,  so 
fast  bound  to  each  other  that  of  themselves  they  could  not 
harm  him.  Then  Joseph  rode  on  further,  but  his  angel  was 
no  longer  by  his  side;  and  William  Law  and  Wilson  Law 
came  out  upon  him,  dragged  him  from  his  carriage,  tied  his 
hands  and  threw  him  into  a  deep  pit.  After  a  time  he  partly 
loosened  his  bands  and  climbed  to  the  edge  of  the  pit  and 
looked  out.  He  saw  Wilson  Law  attacked  by  ferocious  beasts 
and  William  Law  expiring  in  the  coils  of  a  poisonous  snake. 
They  cried  for  him  : 

"Oh,  Brother  Joseph!  Brother  Joseph!  save  us  or  we 
perish!" 

But  he  responded  that  they  themselves  had  deprived  him 
of  the  power  to  aid  them.  Then,  after  a  little  time,  his  angel 
came  once  more  and  said:  "Joseph,  why  are  you  here?" 

And  he  responded:  "  Mine  enemies  fell  upon  me,  bound 
me,  and  threw  me  into  this  pit." 

The  angel  took  him  by  the  hand  and  drew  him  up,  and 
they  went  away  together. 

Impressive  as  was  the  recital  of  this  dream,  his  brethren 
failed  to  comprehend  its  full  significance;  but  scores  of  them 
recalled  it  at  a  later  time  and  preserved  it  as  a  sacred  remem- 
brance. 

On  Sunday,  the  16th  day  of  June,  1844,  Joseph  preached 
in  the  grove  east  of  the  temple  to  the  assembled  Saints.  The 
rain  fell  heavily,  but  the  people  would  not  disperse  while  the 
Prophet  spoke.  Kor  would  he  be  stayed  by  all  these  tears  of 
nature,  for  it  was  one  of  his  last  opportunities  to  advise  the 
people  for  whom  he  was  willing  to  give  his  life.  Often  before 
the  Prophet  had  counseled  his  brethren  that  it  was  not  neces- 
sary yet  to  preach  from  the  revelations  of  St.  John  the  Divine; 
that  the  plain  principles  of  the  gospel  should  first  be  taught. 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  465 

But  now,  with  the  consciousness  of  his  approaching  death 
upon  him,  he  read  to  the  people  the  third  chapter  of  Revela- 
tion. It  was  to  be  a  message  of  comfort  to  the  Saints  when 
he  was  gone.  He  then  turned  to  the  first  chapter  and  read  : 

"  And  from  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  faithful  witness,  and 
the  first  begotten  of  the  dead,  and  the  prince  of  the  kings  of 
the  earth.  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins 
in  his  own  blood, 

"  And  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his 
Father;  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen." 

He  carried  the  Saints  into  a  profounder  depth  of  revealed 
theology  than  ever  before.  He  talked  of  the  plurality  of  Gods 
and  the  different  glories  of  the  eternal  realm.  He  said: 

"  Go  and  read  the  vision  in  the  Book  of  Covenants. 
There  is  clearly  illustrated  glory  upon  glory — one  glory  of  the 
sun,  another  glory  of  the  moon,  and  a  glory  of  the  stars;  and 
as  one  star  differeth  from  another  ytar  in  glory,  even  so  do 
they  of  the  telestial  world  differ  in  glory,  and  every  man  who 

reigns  in  the  celestial  glory  is  a  God  to  his  dominion. 

*  #  #  *  #  *  * 

"It  is  in  the  order  of  heavenly  things  that  God  should 
always  send  a  new  dispensation  into  the  world  when  men  have 
apostatized  from  the  truth  and  lost  the  Priesthood;  but  when 
men  build  without  authority  from  God,  and  when  the  floods 

come  and  the  winds  blow,  their  whole  fabric  will  crumble. 

#  *  #  *  #  #  # 

"  Oh  thou  God  who  art  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of 
lords ! " 

After  the  city  had  been  declared  under  martial  law,  the 
Legion  was  drawn  up  in  front  of  the  mansion  to  be  addressed 
by  the  Prophet.  He  stood  upon  the  frame  of  a  building  oppo- 
site his  house,  dressed  in  his  full  uniform  as  Lieu  ten  ant- Gen- 
eral. 

William  W.  Phelps  read  from  an  extra  issue  of  the  War- 
saw Signal  of  the  day  before,  calling  upon  all  the  old  citizens 
to  assist  the  mob  in  exterminating  the  leaders  of  the  Saints 
and  driving  the  people  into  exile. 

Joseph  then  recounted  the  doings  of  the  time  at  Nauvoo, 
and  demonstrated  that  he  and  his  brethren  had  been  willing 


466  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

and  were  still  as  willing  as  ever  to  submit  to  the  authority  of 
law;  that  they  had  not  transgressed  the  statutes;  and  that  the 
effort  making  against  them  was  the  device  of  Satan.  He  told 
them  that  a  pretext  had  been  sought  by  their  enemies  in  order 
that  a  band  of  infuriated  mob-men  might  be  congregated  to 
fall  upon  Nauvoo,  to  murder,  plunder  and  ravish  the  innocent. 
He  said : 

"We  are  American  citizens.  We  live  upon  a  soil,  for  the 
liberties  of  which  our  fathers  perilled  their  lives  and  spilt  their 
blood  upon  the  battle-field.  Those  rights,  so  dearly  purchased, 
shall  not  be  disgracefully  trodden  under  foot  by  lawless  marau- 
ders without  at  least  a  noble  effort  on  our  part  to  sustain  our 
liberties. 

"Will  you  stand  by  me  to  the  death,  and  sustain,  at  the 
peril  of  your  lives,  the  laws  of  our  country,  and  the  liberties 
and  privileges  which  our  fathers  have  transmitted  unto  us, 
sealed  with  their  sacred  blood?  ['Aye/  shouted  thousands.] 
It  is  well.  If  you  had  not  done  it,  I  would  have  gone  out 
there,  [pointing  to  the  west,]  and  would  have  raised  up  a 
mightier  people. 

"I  call  all  men,  from  Maine  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
from  Mexico  to  British  America,  whose  hearts  thrill  with 
horror  to  behold  the  rights  of  freemen  trampled  under  foot, 
to  come  to  the  deliverance  of  this  people  from  the  cruel  hand 
of  oppression,  cruelty,  anarchy  and  misrule  to  which  they 
have  long  been  made  subject,  Come,  all  ye  lovers  of  liberty, 
break  the  oppressor's  rod,  loose  the  iron  grasp  of  mobocracy, 
and  bring  to  condign  punishment  all  those  who  trample  under 
foot  the  glorious  principles  of  our  constitution  and  the  people's 
rights.  [Drawing  his  sword  and  presenting  it  to  heaven.]  I 
call  God  and  angels  to  witness  that  I  have  unsheathed  my 
sword  with  a  firm  and  unalterable  determination  that  this 
people  shall  have  their  legal  rights,  and  be  protected  from  mob 
violence,  or  my  blood  shall  be  spilt  upon  the  ground  like  water, 
and  my  body  consigned  to  the  silent  tomb.  While  I  live,  I 
will  never  tamely  submit  to  the  dominion  of  cursed  mobocracy. 
I  would  welcome  death  rather  than  submit  to  this  oppression; 
and  it  would  be  sweet,  oh,  sweet  to  rest  in  the  grave,  rather 
than  submit  to  this  oppression,  confusion  and  alarm  upon 
alarm,  any  longer. 

******* 

"  Peace  shall  be  taken  from  the  land  which  permits  these 
crimes  against  the  Saints  to  go  unavenged. 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  467 

"  I  call  upon  all  friends  of  truth  and  liberty  to  come  to 
our  assistance;  and  may  the  thunders  of  the  Almighty,  and 
the  forked  lightnings  of  heaven,  and  pestilence,  and  war,  and 
bloodshed  come  down  on  those  ungodly  men  who  seek  to 
destroy  my  life  and  the  lives  of  this  innocent  people. 

"  I  do  not  regard  my  own  life.  I  am  ready  to  be  offered 
a  sacrifice  for  this  people;  for  what  can  our  enemies  do  ?  Only 
kill  the  body,  and  their  power  is  then  at  an  end.  Stand  firm, 
my  friends;  never  flinch.  Do  not  seek  to  save  your  lives,  for 
he  that  is  afraid  to  die  for  the  truth  will  lose  eternal  life. 
Hold  out  to  the  end,  and  we  shall  be  resurrected,  and  become 
like  Gods,  and  reign  in  celestial  kingdoms,  principalities  and 
eternal  dominions,  while  this  mob  will  sink  to  the  portion  of 
all  those  who  shed  innocent  blood. 

"  God  has  tried  you.  You  are  a  good  people;  therefore  I 
love  you  with  all  my  heart.  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than 
that  he  should  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends.  You  have 
stood  by  me  in  the  hour  of  trouble,  and  I  am  willing  to  sacri- 
fice my  life  for  your  preservation. 

"May  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  bless  you  forever  and  ever. 
I  say  it  in  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  in  the  authority 
of  the  holy  Priesthood,  which  He  hath  conferred  upon  me." 

And  all  the  people  cried  Amen ! 

The  vast  assemblage  had  listened  to  his  words  with  breath- 
less attention,  for  he  spoke  with  a  power  transcending  any- 
thing that  the  Saints  had  ever  before  heard,  even  from  him 
whose  speech  was  always  soul-touching.  Had  he  expressed  a 
wish  to  fight,  his  people  would  have  followed  him  with  joy  to 
the  contest.  It  is  no  wonder  that  his  words  sank  deep  into 
their  hearts;  it  is  no  wonder  that  to  their  sight  he  appeared 
grander  than  mortal.  It  was  the  last  time  for  many  of  them 
in  the  flesh  that  they  were  to  listen  to  the  music  of  his  voice 
or  to  feel  the  spell  of  his  mighty  inspiration.  It  was  his  last 
public  address !  In  a  few  short  days  that  god-like  form,  so 
perfect  in  its  manly  beauty,  was  to  be  locked  in  the  embrace  of 
the  tomb ;  and  that  voice,  whose  angelic  sweetness  had  com- 
forted them  in  the  hour  of  darkest  woe,  was  to  be  hushed  in 
death. 

On  the  20th  of  June  he  wrote  to  all  the  Apostles  who 
were  absent  on  missions  to  come  home  immediately.  Only 
two  of  the  Twelve  were  with  him,  Apostle  John  Taylor  and 


468  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

Willard  Richards.  He  had  often  stated  to  the  Twelve  that 
upon  them  would  devolve  the  work  when  he  was  gone,  and 
he  knew  that  their  presence  would  soon  be  needed. 

His  consciousness  of  his  impending  fate  and  his  fortitude 
were  divine.  His  last  deeds  and  his  last  thoughts  were  for  the 
cause  and  the  people  whom  he  loved. 


CHAPTER    LXIIL. 

PONTIUS    PILATE  FORD'S  ENTRANCE    UPON  THE  SCENE  AT    CARTHAGE 
— THE    OLD     CRY     OF     "  CRUCIFY!" — JOSEPH'S     FINAL    EFFORT 

TO     AVERT     DANGER     FROM     NAUVOO LACK     OF     FAITH     AND 

SUSPICIONS     OF     COWARDICE A     FATAL     BLINDNESS — LIKE     A 

LAMB     TO      THE     SLAUGHTER — THE     ARMS     DEMANDED FARE- 
WELL   TO    NAUVOO AT    CARTHAGE. 

ON  the  21st  day  of  June,  1844,  Thomas  Ford,  governor  of  the 
state  of  Illinois,  arrived  at  Carthage.  What  Pontius  Pilate 
was  to  the  divine  atonement  on  Calvary,  this  man  Ford  was 
to  the  sealing  martyrdom  at  Carthage.* 

*  Sixteen  years  after  Ford  had  acquiesced  in  the  murder  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
Smith,  he  said  in  his  history  of  Illinois  : 

"The  Christian  world,  which  has  hitherto  regarded  Mormonism  with  silent  con- 
tempt, unhappily  may  yet  have  cause  to  fear  its  rapid  increase.  Modern  society  is 
full  of  material  for  such  a  religion.  At  the  death  of  the  Prophet,  fourteen  years  after 
the  first  Mormon  Church  was  organized,  the  Mormons  in  all  the  world  numbered 
about  two  hundred  thousand  souls  (one  half  million  according  to  their  statistics) :  a 
number  equal,  perhaps,  to  the  number  of  Christians,  when  the  Christian  Church  was 
of  the  same  age.  It  is  to  be  feared  that,  in  the  course  of  a  century,  some  gifted  man 
like  Paul,  some  splendid  orator,  who  will  be  able  by  his  eloquence  to  attract  crowds- 
of  the  thousands  who  are  ever  ready  to  hear,  and  be  carried  away  by  the  sounding 
brass  and  tinkling  cymbal  of  sparkling  oratory,  may  command  a  hearing,  may 
succeed  in  breathing'  a  new  life  into  this  modern  Mahometanism,  and  make  the 
name  of  the  martyred  Joseph  ring  as  loud,  and  stir  the  souls  of  men  as  much,  as  the 
mighty  name  of  Christ  itself.  Sharon,  Palmyra,  Manchester,  Kirtland,  Far  West, 
Adam-ondi-Ahman,  Ramus,  Nauvoo  and  the  Carthage  Jail,  may  become  holy  and 
venerable  names,  places  of  classic  interest,  in  another  age:  like  Jerusalem,  the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane,  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  Mount  Calvary  to  the  Christian, 
and  Mecca  and  Medina  to  the  Turk.  And  in  that  event,  the  author  of  this  history 
feels  degraded  by  the  reflection,  that  the  humble  governor  of  an  obscure  state,  who  would 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  469 

He  was  a  politician,  a  friend  of  the  masses,  right  or 
wrong.  He  submitted  himself  at  Carthage  to  the  direction  of 
the  mob  leaders.  From  the  moment  of  his  arrival  there 
until  the  deed  was  done,  he  interposed  no  hand  to  stay  the 
awful  deed.  He  could  not  have  been  so  blind  as  to  fail  in 
seeing  that  murder  impended  for  the  Prophet  and  Patriarch ; 
and  that  extermination  threatened  the  Saints.  A  statesman 
and  a  true  and  brave  patriot  could  have  put  forth  his  power 
and  dissipated  the  evils  at  a  stroke ;  but  Ford  was  not  of  such 
mettle.  He  affected  to  view  Joseph  and  his  brethren  as 
rebels  and  the  mob  as  law-abiding  citizens — at  best,  he 
classed  them  all  together.  How  he  must  have  cringed  when 
the  Prophet  asked  him  : 

"  Sir,  is  it  not  an  easy  matter  to  distinguish  between  those 
who  have  pledged  themselves  to  exterminate  innocent  men, 
women  and  children,  and  those  who  have  only  stood  in  their 
own  defence,  and  in  defence  of  their  innocent  families,  and 
that,  too,  in  accordance  with  the  constitution  and  laws  of  the 
country  as  required  by  the  oaths,  and  as  good  and  law-abiding 
citizens  ? 

On  the  21st,  Ford  wrote  to  Joseph  asking  for  a  conference 
at  Carthage  with  discreet  representatives  from  Nauvoo. 
Apostle  John  Taylor  and  Dr.  John  M.  Bernhisel  went  at  once, 
in  obedience  to  this  request,  carrying  with  them  a  full 
account  of  the  situation  and  the  circumstances  which  had  led 
to  it,  and  a  score  of  affidavits  from  trustworthy  men — some  of 
whom  were  not  connected  with  the  Prophet  or  his  people — 
showing  clearly  the  purpose  of  the  mob  to  commit  murder. 
The  next  day  Lucien  Woodworth  was  sent  to  him  from 
Nauvoo,  with  further  documents  and  with  a  letter  from  the 
Prophet.  When  Apostle  Taylor  and  Dr.  Bernhisel  reached 
Carthage,  they  found  that  the  governor  had  taken  the  entire 
mob  into  his  service;  that  he  had  passed  judicially  upon  the 
municipal  ordinances  and  proceedings  at  Nauvoo;  and  that, 

otherwise  be  forgotten  in,  a  few  years,  stands  a  fair  chance,  like  Pilate  and  Herod,  by  their 
official  connection  with  the  true  religion,  of  being  dragged  down  to  posterity  with  an 
immortal  name,  hitched  on  to  the  memory  of  a  miserable  impostor.  There  may  be 
those  whose  ambition  would  lead  them  to  desire  an  immortal  name  in  history,  even 
in  those  humbling  terms.  I  am  not  one  of  that  number." 


470  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

without  hearing  from  them,  he  had  decided  upon  his  course. 
He  received  them  coolly  and  as  he  read  their  communications 
aloud,  he  was  surrounded  by  mobocrats  who  interrupted  him 
at  every  sentence  with  a  torrent  of  profanity  and  threats.  He 
could  listen  to  no  argument  and  weigh  no  justice,  for  the  cry 
was  in  his  ears,  "  Crucify  !  Crucify  !  "  By  the  hands  of  these 
brethren  he  sent  a  communication  back  to  Nauvoo  to  require 
"all  who  are  or  shall  be  accused,  to  submit  themselves  to 
arrest  by  the  same  constable,  by  virtue  of  the  same  warrant, 
to  be  tried  by  the  same  magistrate  whose  authority  had  here- 
tofore been  resisted." 

He  asked  that  martial  law  should  be  abolished.  He 
sent  the  constable  with  a  guard  to  Nauvoo  to  secure  Joseph 
and  his  friends.  Of  this  circumstance  Ford  himself  says: 

"Upon  the  arrival  of  the  constable  and  guard  [at 
Nauvoo],  the  mayor  and  common  council  at  once  signified 
their  willingness  to  surrender,  and  stated  their  readiness  to 
proceed  to  Carthage  next  morning  at  8  o'clock.  Martial  law 
had  previously  been  abolished.  The  hour  of  8  o'clock  came, 
and  the  accused  failed  to  make  their  appearance.  The  con- 
stable and  his  escort  returned.  The  constable  made  no  effort 
to  arrest  any  of  them,  nor  would  he  or  the  guard  delay  their 
departure  one  minute  beyond  the  time  to  see  whether  an 
arrest  could  be  made.  Upon  their  return,  they  reported  that 
they  had  been  informed  that  the  accused  had  fled  and  could 
not  be  found. 

"  I  immediately  proposed  to  a  council  of  officers  to  march 
into  N~auvoo  with  a  small  force  then  under  my  command,  but 
the  officers  were  of  opinion  that  it  was  too  small,  and  many  of 
them  insisted  upon  a  further  call  of  the  militia.  Upon 
reflection,  I  was  of  opinion  that  the  officers  were  right  in  the 
estimate  of. our  force,  and  the  project  for  immediate  action 
was  abandoned.  I  was  soon  informed,  however,  of  the  con- 
duct of  the  constable  and  guard,  and  then  I  was  perfectly 
satisfied  that  a  most  base  fraud  had  been  attempted;  that,  in 
fact,  it  was  feared  that  the  Mormons  would  submit,  and 
thereby  entitle  themselves  to  the  protection  of  the  law.  It 
was  very  apparent  that  many  of  the  bustling,  active  spirits 
were  afraid  that  there  would  be  no  occasion  for  calling  out  an 
overwhelming  militia  force,  for  marching  it  into  Nauvoo, 
for  probable  mutiny  when  there,  and  for  the  extermination  of 
the  Mormon  race.  It  appeared  that  the  constable  and  the 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  471 

escort  were  fully  in  the  secret,  and  acted  well  their  part  to 
promote  the  conspiracy." 

Informed  of  all  the  plots  against  him  and  seeing  the 
executive  weakness  or  connivance  with  the  mob  the  Prophet 
determined  to  make  one  final  effort  to  draw  the  menace  from 
Nauvoo.  He  addressed  a  letter  to  the  governor,  in  which  he 
exposed  the  fallacy  and  cowardice  of  Ford's  official  proceed- 
ings and  personal  position.  Then,  after  dark  on  the  night  of 
the  22nd  of  June,  he  called  Hyrum,  Willard  Richards,  John 
Taylor,  W.  W.  Phelps,  A.  C.  Hodge,  John  L.  Butler,  Alpheus 
Cutler  and  some  others  into  his  house  and  read  to  them  the 
letter  from  the  governor,  merely  remarking:  "There  is  no 
mercy — no  mercy  here!" 

Hyrum  said:  "No;  as  sure  as  we  fall  into  their  hands, 
we  are  dead  men." 

Joseph  then  told  the  brethren  that  if  he  and  Hyrum 
should  leave  Nauvoo  the  attention  of  the  mob  would  be 
attracted  away  from  the  Saints  and  in  pursuit  of  the  Prophet 
and  Patriarch ;  and  if  the  people  would  go  quietly  about  their 
business  none  of  them  would  be  harmed.  With  this  purpose 
he  prepared  to  cross  the  river  and  go  into  the  west.  That 
night  they  bade  farewell  to  their  families.  As  they  departed 
it  was  seen  that  Joseph's  tears  were  falling  fast,  and  he  uttered 
not  a  word  while  they  walked  down  to  the  bank  of  the  river. 
Joseph,  Hyrum  and  Willard,  rowed  by  Orrin  P.  Rockwell, 
crossed  the  Mississippi  in  a  leaky  skiff,  bailing  out  the  water 
with  their  .boots  and  shoes  to  keep  the  frail  boat  from  sinking. 
They  found  refuge  on  the  Iowa  side  at  the  house  of  Brother 
William  Jordan,  and  made  immediate  preparations  to  depart 
toward  the  Rocky  Mountains.  But  while  they  were  packing 
their  provisions,  on  the  23rd  day  of  June,  messengers  came 
from  Emma  and  others  in  Nauvoo,  entreating  the  Prophet  to 
return  and  by  inuendo  accusing  him  of  cowardice  in  thus 
leaving  the  city.  It  was  a  fatal  blindness  on  the  part  of  these 
professed  friends.  They  seemed  to  fear  that  the  governor, 
failing  to  find  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  would  fall  upon  Nauvoo 
with  the  militia.  The  Prophet  knew  better,  that  Ford  would 
not  dare  such  a  thing  as  this — he  might  consent  to  the  murder 


472  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

of  individuals  but  he  dare  not  lead  an  army  against  an  unof- 
fending city.  It  is  pitiable  to  think  that  the  Saints  could  have 
so  misjudged  their  leader  as  to  suspect  him  of  cowardice. 
But  it  is  often  so,  that  men  placed  in  responsible  stations,  who 
act  by  the  light  of  heaven  and  for  the  benefit  of  their  brethren, 
without  one  thought  of  personal  safety  or  advantage,  are  con- 
demned by  the  unthinking. 

"We  are  going  back  to  be  butchered,"  said  Joseph;  "If 
we  live  or  die  we' will  be  reconciled  to  our  fate,"  said  Hyrum; 
as  they  moved  down  to  the  river  to  cross  to  Nauvoo  on  that 
23rd  day  of  June.  While  they  walked  Joseph  fell  behind, 
deep  in  thought.  Someone  shouted  to  him  to  quicken  his 
steps,  and  he  remarked:  "There  is  time  enough  for  the 
slaughter." 

That  night,  Sunday,  June  23rd,  1844,  Joseph  sent  a  letter 
to  the  governor  informing  him  that  he  would  go  to  Carthage 
the  next  morning  to  meet  his  trial.  He  asked  that  the  gov- 
ernor send  a  posse  to  meet  him  near  the  Mound,  outside  of 
Carthage,  about  two  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  24th. 
Seeing  the  determination  of  Joseph,  the  very  friends  who  had 
induced  him  to  return  would  now  have  interposed;  but  he  was 
firm.  To  remain  in  Nauvoo  would  be  to  draw  the  vengeance 
of  the  mob  upon  that  city.  The  next  morning  Elder  Jedediah 
M.  Grant  and  Theodore  Turley,  who  had  carried  Joseph's 
communication  to  the  governor,  returned  to  Nauvoo  and 
reported  their  mission.  Ford  had  at  first  agreed  to  send  a 
posse  to  escort  Joseph  in  safety  to  Carthage,  but  some  of  the 
mobocrats  and  apostates  made  bitter  speeches  to  him  and  he 
rescinded  his  promise.  He  refused  to  send  or  allow  an  escort 
for  Joseph,  "  as  it  was  an  honor  not  given  to  any  other  citizen." 
He  would  not  even  allow  Elders  Grant  and  Turley  to  remain 
in  Carthage  that  night,  but  sent  them  out  with  a  demand  that 
Joseph  should  appear  unaccompanied  at  Carthage  the  next 
morning.  The  messengers  told  the  Prophet  that  intense 
excitement  existed  at  Carthage ;  but  he  would  not  heed  their 
warning. 

On  the  morning  of  Monday,  the  24th  of  June,  1844, 
Joseph  and  the  seventeen  other  men  named  in  the  old  writ 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  473 

from  Morrison,  started  from  Nauvoo.  When  they  reached 
the  temple,  the  Prophet  looked  upon  it  with  a  long  and  wist- 
ful gaze,  and  then  turned  his  eyes  upon  the  city  saying:  "This 
is  the  loveliest  place  and  these  are  the  best  people  under  the 
heavens.  Little  do  they  know  the  trials  that  await  them." 

As  they  passed  out  of  the  city  the  Prophet  said  to  Daniel 
II.  Wells :  "  Squire  Wells,  I  wish  you  to  cherish^ny  memory 
and  not  think  me  the  worst  man  in  the  world,  either." 

On  the  way  they  met  Captain  Dunn  coming  from  Carth- 
age with  about  sixty  mounted  men.  Joseph  said:  "Do  not 
be  alarmed,  brethren,  for  they  cannot  do  more  to  you  than 
the  enemies  of  truth  did  to  the  ancient  Saints — they  can  only 
kill  the  body." 

Dunn  presented  to  Joseph  an  order  from  Governor  Ford 
for  all  the  state  arms  in  possession  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion. 
Joseph  immediately  countersigned  the  order.  Then  he  turned 
to  the  company  and  spoke  these  memorable  words: 

"  I  AM    GOING    LIKE    A    LAMB    TO   THE    SLAUGHTER,  BUT    I    AM 

CALM  AS  A  SUMMER'S  MORNING,     i  HAVE  A  CONSCIENCE  VOID  OF 

OFFENCE  TOWARD  GOD  AND  TOWARD  ALL  MEN." 

Again  he  said :  "If  they  take  my  life  I  shall  die  an  inno- 
cent man,  and  my  blood  shall  cry  from  the  ground  for  vengeance, 
and  it  shall  yet  be  said  of  me,  i  He  was  murdered  in  cold 
blood.' " 

Joseph  sent  Henry  G.  Sherwood  back  to  Nauvoo  to  get 
the  arms  ready  for  Captain  Dunn  and  to  have  all  things  done 
with  good  order  and  regularity.  But  Dunn  feared  that  the 
governor's  demand,  coming  at  such  a  time,  would  excite  resist- 
ance; and  he  requested  Joseph  and  the  brethren  to  return  with 
him  to  the  city  under  a  pledge  of  mutual  protection.  He  pre- 
ferred to  depend  upon  the  well-known  integrity  of  Joseph 
rather  than  to  risk  the  wounded  feelings  of  a  much-abused 
people.  When  the  order  for  the  state  arms  was  made  known  in 
Nauvoo  many  of  the  brethren  regarded  this  as  a  preparation  for 
another  Far  West  tragedy;  but  they  heeded  the  Prophet's 
word  and  unresistingly  yielded  obedience  to  the  requirement. 

It  was  an  outrage  to  ask  these  arms  under  the  circum- 
stances :  they  were  borne  by  men  who  were  on  the  defensive 


474 


JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET. 


not  the  offensive;  men  who  carried  them  for  the  protection  of 
home  and  virtue  and  who  had  not  set  foot  outside  the  limits  of 
their  own  city.  Ford's  action  in  this  matter  was  atrocious; 
the  compliance  of  the  Prophet  and  the  Saints  was  noble. 

Joseph  again  bade  farewell  to  his  family,  and  looked 
again  and  again  upon  the  fair  domain  which  his  mortal  eyes 
were  beholding  for  the  last  time.  His  face  was  white  and 
luminous,  yet  upon  it  and  in  his  eyes  was  a  look  of  anguish. 
His  friends  would  even  now  have  detained  him,  be  the  con- 
sequences what  they  might ;  but  he  told  them  he  must  either 
yield  himself  to  his  sworn  murderers  or  the  city  would  be 
given  up  to  massacre  and  pillage  under  the  sanction  of  the 
governor. 

Shortly  after  leaving  N~auvoo  they  met  Brother  A.  C. 
Hodge  coming  from  Carthage,  who  told  him  that  a  minister — 
whom  Joseph  had  previously  treated  with  great  kindness — 
warned  him  that  so  sure  as  Joseph  and  Hyrum  came  to  Carth- 
age they  would  be  killed.  He  also  said  that  Hamilton,  the 
innkeeper  at  Carthage,  had  pointed  to  the  Carthage  Greys,  say- 
ing: "Hodge,  there  are  the  boys  that  will  settle  you  Mormons." 

A  little  further  on  the  way,  the  Prophet  received  letters 
from  attorneys  at  Carthage  to  whom  the  governor  had  pledged 
his  own  honor  and  the  honor  of  the  state  of  Illinois  that  the 
prisoners  should  be  protected  from  all  harm.  This  pledge 
Ford  reiterated  often;  and  upon  the  strength  of  it  many  of 
the  Prophet's  friends  felt  that  he  was  safe. 

It  was  not  until  a  little  before  midnight  that  the  party 
reached  Carthage,  but  they  found  the  mob  up  and  expecting 
them  with  great  anxiety.  As  they  passed  the  public  square 
many  troops,  especially  the  Carthage  Greys,  gave  way  to  a 
frenzy  of  joy. 

Some  of  them  shouted,  "God  damn  you,  old  Joe  Smith, 
we  have  got  you  now."  Others  cried,  "  Where  is  the  damned 
Prophet?"  "Stand  away,  you  McDonough  boys,  and  let  us 
shoot  the  damned  Mormons."  "  Clear  the  way  and  let  us  have 
a  view  of  Joe  Smith,  the  Prophet  of  God.  He  has  seen  the 
last  of  Nauvoo.  We'll  use  him  up  now,  and  kill  all  the 
damned  Mormons." 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  475 

The  profanity  of  the  mob  was  an  avalanche.  Such  ravings 
and  cursings  were  scarcely  ever  before  heard  from  civilized 
men.  The  governor  was  an  ear  witness  to  it  all  and  leaned 
from  his  tavern  window  to  say  in  a  fawning  voice  to  the 
rabble : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  know  your  great  anxiety  to  see  Mr.  Smith, 
which  is  natural  enough,  but  it  is  quite  too  late  to-night  for 
you  to  have  that  opportunity;  but  I  assure  you,  gentlemen, 
you  shall  have  that  privilege  to-morrow  morning,  as  I  will 
cause  him  to  pass  before  the  troops  upon  the  square,  and  I 
now  wish  you,  with  this  assurance,  quietly  and  peaceably  to 
return  to  your  quarters." 

At  this  there  was  a  hurrah  for  Tom  Ford,  and  the  mob 
obeyed  his  wish. 

The  prisoners  were  quartered  at  the  tavern  of  Hamilton, 
who  had  threatened  Brother  Hodge  that  the  Carthage  Greys 
would  settle  the  "Mormons."  At  the  same  inn  was  a  party  of 
apostates.  One  of  them,  John  A.  Hicks,  formerly  president 
of  the  Elders'  quorum,  stated  to  Brother  Cyrus  H.  Wheelock 
that  it  was  determined  to  shed  the  blood  of  Joseph  Smith, 
whether  he  was  cleared  by  the  law  or  not.  Hicks  talked 
freely  and  unreservedly  upon  the  subject,  as  if  he  were  dis- 
coursing upon  the  most  common  occurrence  of  life;  and 
boldly  declared  that  the  Laws,  the  Higbees  and  the  Fosters 
were  all  agreed  upon  this  course. 

Elder  Wheelock  carried  this  information  to  Governor 
Ford,  but  that  craven  wretch  treated  it  with  perfect  indiffer- 
ence and  suffered  Hicks  and  his  associates  to  go  on  with  their 
plans  for  murder. 

A  few  hours  later,  the  most  prominent  enemies  of  the 
Prophet  at  Carthage  declared: 

"  There  is  nothing  against  these  men;  the  law  cannot  reach 
them,  but  powder  and  ball  shall.  They  will  never  get  out  of  Carth- 
age alive." 


CHAPTER  LXIY. 

VOLUNTARY   YIELDING    TO  PROCESS JOSEPH    AND    HYRUM  CHARGED 

WITH      TREASON FORD'S      COWARDICE      AND      FALSEHOOD — IN 

CARTHAGE     JAIL — THE     FIRST     DAY     AND     NIGHT PREACHING 

TO     THE     GUARDS — FORD      LEAVES     THE     MARTYRS     TO     THEIR 
FATE. 

WHEN  the  morning  came  on  the  25th  of  June,  1844,  Joseph 
and  his  brethren  voluntarily  presented  themselves  to  Constable 
Bettis worth  who  had  held  the  original  writ  against  them. 
They  sought  and  had  an  interview  with  the  governor  at  his 
headquarters ;  and  he  then  and  there  pledged  his  own  faith 
and  that  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  that  Joseph  and  Hyrum  and 
the  other  prisoners  should  be  protected  from  personal  violence 
and  should  have  a  fair  and  impartial  trial. 

A  few  moments  after  8  o'clock,  a.  m.,  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  were  arrested  upon  warrants  issued  by  Justice  Robert 
F.  Smith,  of  Carthage,  charging  them  with  treason  upon  the 
affidavits  of  Augustine  Spencer  and  Henry  0.  Norton. 

After  making  an  inflammable  speech  to  the  rabble  army, 
the  governor  led  the  brethren  before  the  troops,  as  the  mob 
had  requested  to  have  a  clear  view  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum. 
As  they  passed  in  front  of  the  lines,  Ford  introduced  the 
Prophet  and  Patriarch  as  Generals  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith. 
The  Carthage  Greys  refused  to  receive  them  by  that  introduc- 
tion, and  some  of  the  officers  threw  up  their  hats,  drew  their 
swords  and  said:  "We  will  introduce  ourselves  to  the  damned 
Mormons  in  a  different  style."  The  governor  quieted  them 
by  saving : 

"  You  shall  have  full  satisfaction.'' 

An  hour  later  the  Carthage  Greys  revolted  and  were  put 
under  guard ;  they  could  not  be  content  to  wait  another  hour 
for  the  murder.  But  they  w^ere  soon  released. 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  477 

Joseph  had  asked  a  private  interview  with  Ford,  but  it 
had  been  refused.  In  declining,  the  governor  looked  down 
with  shame. 

In  the  afternoon  several  officers  of  the  mob  militia  called 
upon  Joseph  at  the  tavern.  They  gazed  upon  him  with  much 
curiosity,  and  he  asked  them  if  he  appeared  like  a  desperate 
character.  They  replied  that  his  outward  appearance  seemed 
to  indicate  exactly  the  opposite,  but  they  could  not  tell  what 
was  in  his  heart.  To  this  Joseph  responded  : 

"  Very  true,  gentlemen,  you  cannot  see  what  is  in  my 
heart,  and  you  are  therefore  unable  to  judge  me  or  my  inten- 
tions ;  but  I  can  see  what  is  in  your  hearts,  and  will  tell  you 
what  I  see.  I  can  see  you  thirst  for  blood,  and  nothing  but 
my  blood  will  satisfy  you.  It  is  not  for  crime  of  any  descrip- 
tion that  I  and  my  brethren  are  thus  continually  persecuted 
and  harassed  by  our  enemies,  but  there  are  other  motives,  and 
some  of  them  I  have  expressed,  so  far  as  relates  to  myself;  and 
inasmuch  as  you  and  the  people  thirst  for  blood,  I  prophesy, 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  that  you  shall  witness  scenes  of 
blood  and  sorrow  to  your  entire  satisfaction.  Your  souls  shall 
be  perfectly  satiated  with  blood,  and  many  of  you  who  are 
now  present  shall  have  an  opportunity  to  face  the  cannon's 
mouth  from  sources  you  think  not  of;  and  those  people  that 
desire  this  great  evil  upon  me  and  my  brethren,  shall  be  filled 
with  regret  and  sorrow  because  of  the  scenes  of  desolation  and 
distress  that  await  them.  They  shall  seek  for  peace,  and  shall 
not  be  able  to  find  it.  Gentlemen,  you  will  find  what  I  have 
told  you  to  be  true." 

At  4  o'clock  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  and  thirteen  other 
brethren  were  taken  before  Robert  F.  Smith,  justice  of  the 
peace  and  captain  of  the  Carthage  Greys,  on  a  charge  of  riot 
in  destroying  the  printing  press  of  the  Expositor.  Robert 
Smith  took  the  place  of  Morrison,  by  the  direction  of  the  mob 
and  with  the  connivance  of  the  governor,  although  Ford  had 
stated  that  the  hearing  must  be  had  before  the  same  justice 
who  issued  the  original  writ.  But  he  had  only  made  this 
assertion  in  order  to  justify  himself  in  overlooking  the  pro- 
ceedings in  Justice  Wells'  court.  Now  that  he  had  the  breth- 
ren at  Carthage  he  was  willing  that  the  mob  should  have  them 
tried  before  the  most  vindictive  man  to  be  found  exercising 


478  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

judicial  functions.  Upon  this  hearing  before  Robert  F.  Smith, 
the  fifteen  brethren  were  admitted  to  bail  in  the  sum  of  $7,500, 
with  John  S.  Fullmer,  Edward  Hunter,  Dan  Jones,  John  Ben- 
bow  and  others  as  sureties.  Then  the  court  was  adjourned 
without  calling  on  Joseph  and  Hyrum  to  answer  to  the  charge 
of  treason,  or  even  intimating  to  them  or  their  counsel  that  an 
examination  of  this  charge  was  to  be  made. 

About  dark  that  night  the  constable  appeared  with  a  mitti- 
mus from  Justice  Smith  and  demanded  that  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
go  to  jail  upon  the  charge  of  treason.  This  mittimus  falsely 
alleged  that  the  trial  for  treason  had  been  begun  and  had  been 
postponed.  Joseph  and  his  counsel,  Messrs.  Woods  and  Reid, 
exposed  this  tyrannical  proceeding,  showing  clearly  that  the 
law  did  not  permit  the  justice  to  send  them  to  jail  by  mitti- 
mus without  having  them  first  brought  before  him  for  examin- 
ation, and  appealed  to  the  governor.  He  refused  assistance. 
A  little  later  Captain  and  Justice  Robert  F.  Smith  applied  to 
him  to  know  how  he  should  enforce  the  illegal  mittimus,  and 
the  governor  said  significantly :  "  You  have  the  Carthage  Greys 
at  your  command."  The  mob  captain  took  the  hint  and 
dragged  the  prisoners  violently  to  jail. 

Apostles  John  Taylor  and  Willard  Richards,  and  John  P. 
Greene,  Stephen  Markham,  Dan  Jones,  John  S.  Fullmer,  Dr. 
Southwick  and  Lorenzo  D.  Wasson  accompanied  the  Prophet 
and  Patriarch  to  prison;  and  it  was  well  that  they  did  so. 
Stephen  Markham  and  Dan  Jones  walked  one  on  either  side 
of  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  keeping  off  the  drunken  rabble  which 
several  times  broke  through  the  ranks  of  the  file  of  soldiers 
guarding  the  brethren  on  their  way  to  prison. 

They  made  their  dungeon  seem  a  heaven  that  night  by 
their  prayers  and  by  their  faith. 

After  spending  the  night  in  Carthage  jail,  Joseph  wrote 
on  the  morning  of  June  26th,  1844,  soliciting  an  interview 
with  Ford.  The  governor  sent  back  a  favorable  reply,  and  to 
the  messengers  he  spoke  apologetically  of  his  failure  to  inter- 
fere the  previous  night.  Apostle  John  Taylor  had  been  to 
him  in  the  meantime  and  had  made  him  feel  his  falseness 
and  cowardice.  About  9:30  a.  m.  the  governor  came  to 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  479 

the  prison  and  had  a  lengthy  interview  with  Joseph.  Presi- 
dent Taylor  was  present  and  made  an  extensive  report  of  the 
conversation.  Joseph  charged  Governor  Ford  with  absolute 
knowledge  that  the  enemies  of  the  Saints  had  first  commenced 
these  difficulties ;  that  Joseph  and  his  people  had  not  trans- 
gressed the  law;  and  that  the  Nauvoo  Legion  had  only  been 
ordered  out  in  pursuance  of  orders  received  by  Joseph  from 
the  governor  requiring  him  to  assemble  the  Legion  for  the 
protection  of  Nauvoo  against  armed  bands  of  marauders. 

As  they  parted  the  governor  reiterated  his  promise, 
pledging  his  faith,  the  honor  of  his  officers,  and  the  good  name 
of  the  state  of  Illinois  that  the  brethren  would  be  protected. 
He  said  that  he  might  go  to  Nauvoo  that  day  or  the  next,  and 
if  so  he  would  take  Joseph  with  him. 

After  Ford  left  the  prison,  he  went  to  Hamilton's  hotel 
and  began  to  converse  with  a  mob  soldier  standing  there. 
Alfred  Randall,  a  man  of  approved  veracity,  testifies  that  he 
heard  the  mobocrat  saying  to  Ford,  "  The  soldiers  are  deter- 
mined to  see  Joe  Smith  dead  before  they  leave  here;"  and 
heard  Ford  reply,  "  If  you  know  of  any  such  thing  keep  it  to 
yourself."  It  was  common  conversation  that  day  on  the 
camp  ground  and  in  the  dining-room  of  the  hotel  in  the  pre- 
sence of  Governor  Ford :  "  The  law  is  too  short  for  these  men, 
but  they  must  not  be  suffered  to  go  at  large."  "No;  if  the 
law  will  not  reach  them  powder  and  ball  must." 

Most  of  the  afternoon  of  the  26th  was  spent  by  Dan  Jones 
and  Stephen  Markham  in  hewing  the  warped  door  of  the  cell 
in  which  the  brethren  were  confined  with  a  penknife  so  that  it 
would  fasten  in  the  frame. 

The  brethren  preached  by  turns  to  the  guards,  several  of 
whom  were  relieved  before  their  watch  was  out  because  they 
admitted  that  they  were  convinced  of  the  innocence  of  the 
prisoners. 

One  of  them  said :  "  We  have  been  imposed  upon ;  these 
men  are  guiltless." 

Another  said:  uLet  us  go  home,  boys,  for  I  will  not 
fight  any  longer  against  these  men." 

During  the  day  Hyrum  vainly  attempted  to  lead  Joseph 


480  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

into  a  belief  that  his  life  would  be  saved.  To  his  brethren 
Joseph  said:  "Could  my  brother  Hyrum  but  be  liberated  it 
would  not  matter  so  much  about  me." 

Then  he  said :  "  Poor  Rigdon,  I  am  glad  he  has  gone  to 
Pittsburg  out  of  the  way.  Were  he  to  preside  he  would  lead 
the  Church  to  destruction  in  less  than  five  years." 

At  half-past  two  that  afternoon  Constable  Bettisworth 
demanded  the  persons  of  the  prisoners  from  the  jailor  upon -an 
order  signed  by  Justice  Robert  F.  Smith.  The  jailor  refused, 
as  the  prisoners  had  been  committed  to  his  charge  to  be  held 
by  him  until  released  from  his  custody  by  due  course  of  law. 
The  justice  then  inquired  of  the  governor  what  he  should  do, 
and  Ford  once  more  responded :  "  There  are  the  Carthage 
Greys  under  your  command,  bring  them  out;  we  have  plenty 
of  troops." 

Again  taking  the  significant  hint,  the  mob  captain  and 
justice  used  his  willing  rabble  of  soldiers  to  drag  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  illegally  away.  He  had  them  brought  before  him, 
Robert  F.  Smith,  captain  of  the  Carthage  Greys,  at  the  court 
house.  The  grave  charge  against  them  was  treason  and  when 
they  asked  for  time  in  which  to  get  witnesses,  they  were 
vehemently  opposed.  Finally  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
the  court  adjourned  until  noon  of  the  next  day  to  give  the 
defendants  opportunity  to  send  to  Nauvoo,  twenty  miles  dis- 
tant, and  obtain  their  witnesses.  Subsequently,  without  any 
notification  to  the  prisoners  or  their  counsel,  the  mob  justice 
and  captain  postponed  the  trial  until  the  29th  of  June. 

Patriarch  John  Smith,  father  of  Apostle  George  A.  Smith, 
came  from  Macedonia  to  see  his  nephews  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  in  jail.  He  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life  from  mob- 
bers  on  the  way.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  he  secured 
admission  to  the  prison.  After  remaining  an  hour  he  left  the 
jail  to  carry  a  message  to  Almon  W.  Babbitt,  requesting  his 
assistance  as  attorney  for  the  Prophet  at  the  expected  trial. 
Patriarch  John  Smith  found  Babbitt,  but  learned  from  him 
that  he  could  not  comply  with  Joseph's  request. 

That  night  in  prison  Hyrum  read  from  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon concerning  the  sufferings  and  deliverance  of  the  servants 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  481 

of  God  from  the  hands  of  their  enemies.  Joseph  arose  and 
bore  a  powerful  testimony  to  the  guards  to  the  divinity  of  the 
hook;  he  declared  that  the  gospel  had  been  restored  and  that 
the  kingdom  of  God  was  again  established  on  the  earth  for  the 
sake  of  which  he  was  then  incarcerated  in  prison,  and  not 
because  he  had  violated  any  law  of  God  or  man.  They  retired 
to  rest  very  late.  In  the  room  with  the  Prophet  and  Patriarch 
were  Apostles  John  Taylor  and  Willard  Richards  and  Elders 
John  S.  Fullmer,  Stephen  Markham  and  Dan  Jones. 

In  the  night  Joseph  whispered  to  Dan  Jones,  "Are  you 
afraid  to  die?" 

Brother  Jones  answered:  "Has  that  time  come,  think 
you?  Engaged  in  such  a  cause  I  do  not  think  that  death 
would  have  many  terrors." 

Joseph  replied :  "You  will  yet  see  Wales  and  fulfill  the 
mission  appointed  you,  before  you  die."* 

In  the  morning  Dan  Jones  went  down,  at  the  Prophet's 
request,  to  learn  the  cause  of  a  disturbance  of  the  night,  and 
Frank  Worrell,  the  officer  of  the  guard  of  Carthage  Greys, 
said  to  Dan: 

"We  have  had  too  much  trouble  to  bring  old  Joe  here  to 
let  him  ever  escape  alive,  and  unless  you  want  to  die  with  him, 
you  had  better  leave  before  sundown ;  and  you  are  not  a 
damned  bit  better  than  him  for  taking  his  part,  and  you'll  see 
that  I  can  prophesy  better  than  old  Joe,  for  neither  he  nor  his 
brother,  nor  anyone  who  will  remain  with  them,  will  see  the 
sun  set  to-day." 

Brother  Jones  started  to  find  the  governor  and  on  the 
way  saw  an  assemblage  of  the  mob,  and  heard  one  of  them 
who  was  making  a  speech  say : 

"  Our  troops  will  be  discharged  this  morning  in  obedience 
to  order,  and  for  a  sham  we  will  leave  the  town;  but  when 
the  governor  and  the  McDonough  troops  have  left  for  Nauvoo 
this  forenoon,  we  will  return  and  kill  these  men,  if  we  have 
to  tear  the  jail  down." 

When  Dan  found  the  governor,  and  related  the  threats, 
Ford  only  sneered  at  him.  Ford  was  actually  preparing  to  go 

*    Tliis  pix'diction  was  gloriously  fulfilled. 


482  JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET. 

to  Nauvoo.  He  had  disbanded  some  of  the  troops  and  in  his 
hearing  they  declared  that  they  would  return  and  kill  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  as  soon  as  he  was  far  enough  away  from  town. 

Ford  refused  permits  for  the  Prophet's  friends  to  pass  in 
and  out  of  the  prison.  This  deprived  Joseph  and  Hyrum  of 
the  society  of  all  but  Apostles  Taylor  and  Richards  who 
remained  constantly  with  them. 

The  governor  held  consultation  with  the  officers  of  the 
mob  army.  A  Dr.  Southwick  who  was  there  afterward 
declared  that  the  purpose  of  the  meeting  was  to  consider  the 
best  way  of  stopping  Joseph  Smith's  career,  as  his  views  on 
government  were  being  widely  circulated  and  they  took  like 
wildfire.  The  mobocrats  said  that  if  he  did  not  get  into  the 
presidential  chair  this  election  he  would  be  sure  to  next  time; 
and  if  Illinois  and  Missouri  would  join  together  and  kill  him, 
they  would  not  be  brought  to  justice  for  it. 

As  the  governor  continued  his  preparations  to  depart  from 
Carthage  to  Nauvoo,  and  as  it  was  clear  that  he  intended  to  break 
his  solemn  promise  by  failing  to  take  Joseph  with  him,  Cyrus 
H.  "Wheelock,  Dan  Jones  and  John  P.  Greene  went  in  town 
to  him  and  protested  with  all  possible  solemnity  against  his 
deed.  He  professed  to  reassure  them;  and  then  he  took  with 
him  Captain  Dunn  and  his  company — of  all  the  militia  the 
least  vindictive  against  the  Prophet;  and  left  as  a  guard  the 
Carthage  Greys — of  all  the  mob  the  most  bloodthirsty.  These 
Carthage  Greys  had  but  two  days  before  been  under  arrest  for 
insulting  the  commanding  general;  their  conduct  had  shown 
them  to  be  notoriously  hostile  to  the  prisoners;  and  they  had 
often  in  the  governor's  hearing  threatened  the  lives  of  Joseph 
and  Hyrum.  Of  the  disbanded  troops  the  governor  permitted 
two  or  three  hundred  under  Colonel  Levi  Williams,  a  sectarian 
preacher  and  a  sworn  enemy  to  Joseph,  to  remain  encamped 
in  the  vicinity  of  Carthage,  awaiting  the  hour  when  they 
might  safely  descend  upon  the  jail. 

Cyrus  H.  "Wheelock  was  permitted  to  enter  the  prison,  and 
during  his  visit  he  slipped  a  small  revolver,  of  the  kind  known 
in  those  days  as  the  "pepper-box"  revolver,  into  Joseph's 
pocket.  Cyrus  was  going  to  Nauvoo  with  messages  from  the 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  483 

brethren  in  prison.  They  were  so  numerous  that  Dr.  Eichards 
proposed  to  write  them  down  fearing  that  Wheelock  might 
forget,  but  Hyrum  fastened  his  eye  upon  the  messenger,  and 
with  a  look  of  penetration  said : 

"Brother  Wheelock  will  remember  all  that  we  tell  him 
and  he  will  never  forget  the  occurrences  of  this  day." 


CHAPTER  LXV. 

ADMINISTRATION    OF    THE    HOLY    ENDOWMENTS — THE    WORK    OF  THE 
CLOSING   MONTHS — UNION    OF     SATANIC     FORCES    AGAINST    THE 

PROPHET A     MOMENTARY       GLANCE     AT      HIM      BEFORE     THE 

FINAL    HOUR. 

BEFORE  recounting  the  final  act  which  closed  this  great  life,  we 
may  pause  to  glance  at  some  of  the  work  of  the  Prophet  and 
some  of  the  difficulties  which  beset  his  path  and  wrought  the 
martyrdom. 

During  the  winter  of  1843-4  superhuman  power  rested 
upon  the  Prophet  in  his  teachings  and  administrations.  He 
was  impelled  to  constant  labor  in  his  ministry  as  if  he  had  the 
briefest  possible  time  in  which  to  accomplish  his  work.  Per- 
haps he  was  not  fully  aware  of  how  little  there  was  of  mortal 
life  left  to  him,  yet  many  of  his  expressions  at  this  time  were 
recalled  by  the  Apostles  and  others  afterwards  as  foreshadow- 
ing the  nearness  of  his  departure.  He  bestowed  upon  the 
faithful  Apostles  and  other  chosen  ones  the  endowments,  and 
gave  them  the  keys  of  the  Priesthood  in  their  fullness  as  he 
had  received  them.  He  also  taught  and  administered  to  them 
the  sealing  ordinances,  explaining  in  great  plainness  and 
power  the  manner  in  which  husbands  and  wives,  parents  and 
children  are  to  be  united  by  eternal  ties  and  the  whole  human 
family  Irnck  to  Father  Adam  be  linked  together  in  indissoluble 


484  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

bonds.  In  imparting  these  glorious  principles  and  bestowing 
these  keys  and  powers  upon  his  fellow- Apostles,  the  Prophet 
was  filled  with  god-like  power.  More  important  doctrines 
and  ordinances  were  never  imparted*  unto  man.  The  spirit 
which  rested  upon  Joseph  in  teaching  and  upon  the  people  in 
listening  to  them  (for  he  dwelt  much  upon  these  principles  in 
his  public  discourses)  will  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who 
heard  him.  It  was  to  the  deep  and  abiding  effect  of  these 
teachings  upon  the  minds  of  the  Saints  that  the  extraordinary 
exertions  which  were  made  after  his  death  in  completing  the 
temple  may  chiefly  be  attributed. 


The  perusal  of  the  history  of  the  Church  during  the  life 
of  Joseph  the  Prophet  suggests  many  reflections  and  to  many 
minds  prompts  many  inquiries.  One  cannot  fail  to  be  struck 
with  the  unceasing  opposition  with  which  he  had  to  contend. 
From  the  day  that  he  received  the  first  communication  from 
heaven  up  to  the  day  of  his  martyrdom  his  pathway  was  beset 
with  difficulties,  his  liberty  and  life  were  constantly  menaced. 
Had  he  been  an  ordinary  man  he  would  have  been  crushed  in 
spirit  and  sunk  in  despair  under  the  relentless  attacks  which 
were  made  upon  him.  To  find  a  parallel  to  his  case  we  must 
go  back  to  the  days  of  our  Savior  and  His  Apostles,  and  the 
prophets  who  preceded  them.  Joseph's  life  was  sought  for 
with  satanic  hate.  The  thirst  for  his  blood  was  unappeasable. 
Had  there  not  been  a  special  providence  exercised  in  his 
behalf  to  preserve  him  until  his  mission  should  be  fulfilled,  he 
would  have  been  slain  by  murderous  hands  long  before  the 
dreadful  day  at  Carthage. 

To  the  inexperienced  reader  it  seems  unaccountable  that 
any  generation  of  men  could  have  been  so  blind  to  everything 
god-like,  so  dead  to  every  humane  sentiment,  so  utterly  cruel 
and  barbarous,  as  not  to  recognize  in  the  teachings,  works 
and  life  of  God's  beloved  Son  the  divinity  with  which  he  was 
clothed  and  to  nail  Him  upon  a  cross  between  two  thieves. 
Also  that  His  chosen  Apostles,  filled  with  angelic  power, 
preaching  so  pure  a  doctrine  and  laboring  with  such  self- 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  485 

denial  and  unselfish  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  mankind,  should 
have  been  slain  by  the  very  people  whose  benefactors  they 
sought  to  be. 

But  in  our  own  age  the  same  scenes  are  re-enacted. 
Joseph  Smith,  a  Prophet  of  God,  called  by  the  Almighty  to 
receive  the  everlasting  Priesthood,  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  and  to  preach  the  ancient  pure  gospel,  per- 
forms the  mission  to  which  he  was  divinely  appointed,  and  is 
pursued  with  vindictive  hate  through  his  life,  and  is  finally 
barbarously  slain.  The  explanation  of  all  this  is  given  by  the 
Lord  Himself  in  His  words  to  His  disciples  :  "  If  ye  were  of  the 
world,  the  world  would  love  his  own;  but  because  ye  are 
not  of  the  world,  but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world, 
therefore  the  world  hateth  you." 

According  to  the  predictions,  this  is  the  dispensation  of 
the  fullness  of  times — tho  crowning  dispensation  of  all.  To 
leave  the  world  without  excuse  and  to  prepare  the  way  for  the 
second  coming  of  the  Lord,  the  holy  Priesthood,  the  pure  gos- 
pel and  the  true  church  of  Christ  are  restored  to  earth  through 
the  ministration  of  angels.  Satan,  fully  conscious  that  if  these 
prevail  his  dominion  will  be  overthrown,  arrays  all  his  forces 
against  the  servants  and  work  of  God.  He  resorts  to  his  old 
tactics  to  accomplish  his  purposes.  He  was  a  liar  and  a  mur- 
derer from  the  beginning.  Lies  and  murder  are  the  agencies 
he  depends  upon.  Many  being  free  agents,  and  having  power 
to  choose  whom  they  will  serve,  become  his  instruments  of 
hate,  and  the  earth  is  drenched  with  the  blood  of  innocence. 
The  Prophet  Joseph,  while  he  lived,  was  the  conspicuous 
object  of  his  vengeance.  Like  Paul,  he  could  have  recounted 
a  long  list  of  perils  which  he  had  to  encounter,  not  the  least  of 
which,  as  in  the  case  of  Paul,  were  "perils  among  false  breth- 
ren." Of  all  the  evils  with  which  this  great  Prophet  had  to 
contend  none  were  so  grievous  or  so  hard  to  be  borne  as  the 
defection  and  treason  of  "false  brethren."  The  most  deadly 
wounds  he  ever  received  were  from  those  who,  Judas-like,  had 
been  his  companions.  When  through  their  transgressions, 
they  lost  the  Spirit  of  God  and  turned  away  from  the  truth,  the 
spirit  of  murder  took  possession  of  them,  they  became  fit 


486  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

instruments  for  Satan's  service,  and  to  this  class,  more  than  to 
any  others,  can  the  foul  murders  of  the  27th  of  June,  1844,  be 
charged. 

The  great  hulk  of  those  who  composed  the  mobs  which 
attacked  the  Saints  in  Missouri  and  Illinois  were  ignorant 
men.  Their  passions  were  easily  aroused.  A  few  cunning 
and  unscrupulous  leaders  were  able  to  use  them  to  accomplish 
their  ends.  Seeing  the  increase  of  the  Saints,  they  were 
easily  persuaded  that,  if  left  to  themselves,  they  would  soon 
outnumber  the  old  settlers,  they  would  out- vote  them,  take 
possession  of  the  offices,  and  drive  them  out  of  the  country. 
By  such  representations  and  artifices  as  these,  appealing  to 
the  lowest  and  basest  of  motives,  they  were  able  to  inflame 
the  minds  of  ignorant,  unprincipled  men.  Envious  of  the 
prosperity  of  the  Saints,  coveting  their  possessions,  they 
thought  to  profit  in  driving  them  from  their  homes. 
Apostates  had  personal  vengeance  and  hates  to  gratify;  politi- 
cians saw  a  growing  power  which  they  could  not  control, 
and  whose  union  made  it  formidable  in  county  and  state 
affairs;  the  clergy  saw  a  system  of  religion  which  they  could 
not  controvert ;  and  the  rabble  had  their  cupidity  excited  at 
the  prospect  of  plunder,  which  might  fall  to  them  through 
the  abandonment  of  lands  and  improvements  and  stock  by 
the  people  whom  they  were  driving  away. 


CHAPTER  LXVL 

THE   LAST  DAY — FORD'S  ACTION    AT  NAUVOO — CONSPIRACY  BETWEEN 

THE  GUARDS  AND  THE  MURDEROUS  MOB  MILITIA THE  PRIS- 
ONERS LEFT  TO  THEIR  FATE "  A  POOR  WAYFARING  MAN  OF 

GRIEF" — THE  ASSAULT  AND  THE  MURDER — THE  END. 

GOVERNOR  FORD  went  to  ]N"auvoo  on  the  morning  of  the  27th 
of  June,  1844,  accompanied  by  a  body  of  troops.  When  he 
arrived  there  he  made  a  public  speech  before  thousands  of  the 
Saints,  in  which  he  used  this  expression:  "A  great  crime 
has  been  done  by  destroying  the  Expositor  press,  and  placing 
the  city  under  martial  law,  and  a  severe  atonement  must  be  made, 
so  prepare  your  minds  for  the  emergency." 

Whether  Ford  was  fully  cognizant  of  the  plot  to  murder 
the  Prophet  during  his  absence  from  Carthage  is  not  alto- 
gether clear.  He  was  unquestionably  aware  of  the  murderous 
feeling  which  existed  among  the  Carthage  Greys,  and  the  men 
who  were  associated  with  Levi  Williams  and  the  Laws,  Hig- 
bees,  Fosters  and  others  at  Carthage.  It  has  been  stated  upon 
good  authority,  and  it  has  never  been  disputed,  that  he  was 
informed  of  the  intentions  of  the  mob.  But  he  ventured  into 
]N"auvoo.  Would  a  cowardly  man  like  he  was  have  dared  to 
risk  himself  in  such  a  manner  at  such  a  time,  if  he  was  fully 
advised  of  the  time  the  massacre  was  to  take  place  ?  The  pre- 
sumption is  that  he  was  indifferent  as  to  the  fate  which  would 
befall  the  Prophet  and  his  companions ;  but  that  he  did  not 
know,  as  some  of  his  officers  did,  that  the  bloody  deed  was  to 
be  consummated  while  he  was  absent  at  Nauvoo.  If  Ford 
had  been  a  man  of  greater  daring,  it  might  with  certainty  be 
assured  that  his  visit  to  Nauvoo  was  a  part  of  the  conspiracy, 
and  that  he  went  there  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  complicity 
in  the  murder.  This  is  certain,  that  while  Ford  was  address- 
ing the  people,  a  sound  like  the  distant  firing  of  a  cannon,  or 
the  slight  sound  of  distant  rumbling  thunder,  was  heard  by 


488  JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET. 

many  in  the  audience,  and  by  some  of  Ford's  aides  who  stood 
near  him,  and  that  they  whispered  something  to  him,  and 
without  loss  of  time  and  in  the  greatest  haste,  he  and  his  escort 
rode  out  of  Nauvoo.  Their  departure  was  more  like  a  flight 
than  the  decorous  leave-taking  of  the  executive  of  the  state 
accompanied  by  a  command  of  troops.  A  cannon  was  fired 
at  a  certain  point  distant  from  Carthage,  as  a  signal  that  the 
massacre  had  been  accomplished;  but  it  was  never  known 
whether  or  not  this  was  the  sound  which  attracted  attention 
at  Nauvoo.  Governor  Ford's  hasty  flight  at  that  time  has 
always  been  deemed  conclusive  evidence  that  he  had  been 
informed  by  some  of  his  companions — if  he  had  not  been  fully 
advised  of  the  plot  and  its  details  before — that  Joseph  Smith 
and  his  companions  had  been  murdered. 

Ford  and  his  aides  occupied  a  room  in  the  Nauvoo  man- 
sion that  day.  Orrin  P.  Rockwell  heard  one  of  them  at  three 
o'clock  say :  "  THE  DEED  is  DONE  BEFORE  THIS  TIME." 

The  governor  and  his  company  went  to  the  temple.  Some 
of  the  officers  broke  the  horns  from  the  oxen  supporting  the 
baptismal  font,  while  Ford  made  rare  sport  of  the  sacred 
edifice. 

One  of  his  attendants  remarked  :  "  This  temple  is  a 
curious  piece  of  workmanship;  and  it  was  a  damned  shame 
that  they  did  not  let  Joe  Smith  finish  it." 

Another  said :  "But  he  is  dead  by  this  time,  and  he  will 
never  see  this  temple  again." 

Brother  William  G.  Sterrett  stood  by  and  replied:  "They 
cannot  kill  him  until  he  has  finished  his  work." 

At  this  Ford  gave  a  significant  smile  and  one  of  his  aides 
standing  by  said:  "Whether  he  has  finished  his  work  or  not, 
by  God,  he  will  not  see  this  place  again,  for  he  is  finished 
before  this  time." 

At  Carthage,  after  the  governor  left,  the  external  situa- 
tion was  this:  The  guarding  of  the  jail  had  been  left  to  Gen- 
eral Deming  who  had  the  Carthage  Greys  under  his  com- 
mand; but  Deming  retired  during  the  day  for  fear  of  his  life, 
as  he  saw  the  determination  of  the  troops  to  connive  at  mur- 
der. The  main  body  of  the  company  was  stationed  in  the 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  489 

public  square,  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  jail,  while 
eight  men  were  detailed,  under  the  command  of  Sergeant 
Frank  A.  Worrell,  to  guard  the  prisoners.  The  disbanded 
mob  militia  had  come  up  to  Carthage  to  the  number  of  two 
hundred,  with  their  faces  blackened  with  powder  and  mud. 
The  Carthage  Greys  were  informed  that  the  assassin  band  was 
ready;  and  it  was  then  arranged  that  the  guard  at  the  jail 
should  load  with  blank  cartridges  and  that  the  mob  should 
attack  the  prison  and  meet  with  some  show  of  resistance. 

Within  the  jail,  the  brethren,  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  John 
Taylor  and  Willarcl  Richards,  were  confined  in  a  room  upstairs 
and  were  busy,  during  the  day,  writing  letters,  conversing  and 
praying  and  singing.  Between  three  and  four  o'clock  at  the 
Prophet's  request,  Apostle  Taylor  sang  this  sweet  and  com- 
forting poem : 

A  poor  wayfaring  man  of  grief, 
Hath  often  cross' d  me  on  my  way, 
Who  sued  so  humbly  for  relief 
That  I  could  never  answer,  Nay. 

I  had  not  power  to  ask  his  name  ; 
Whither  he  went  or  whence  he  came  ; 
Yet  there  was  something  in  his  eye 
That  won  my  love,  I  know  not  why. 

Once  when  my  scanty  meal  was  spread, 
He  entered — not  a  word  he  spake ! 
Just  perishing  for  want  of  bread  ; 
I  gave  him  all ;  he  blessed  it,  brake, 

And  ate,  but  gave  me  part  again  ; 
Mine  was  an  angel's  portion  then, 
For  while  I  fed  with  eager  haste, 
The  crust  was  manna  to  my  taste. 

I  spied  him  where  a  fountain  burst, 
Clear  from  the  rock — his  strength  was  gone, 
The  heedless  water  mocked  his  thirst , 
He  heard  it,  saw  it  hurrying  on. 

I  ran  and  rais'd  the  suff'rer  up ; 
Thrice  from  the  stream  he  drain 'd  my  cup, 
Dipped  and  return'd  it  running  o'er  ; 
I  drank  and  never  thirsted  more. 


490  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

'Twas  night,  the  floods  were  out,  it  blew 
A  winter  hurricane  aloof ; 
I  heard  his  voice,  abroad,  and  flew 
To  bid  him  welcome  to  my  roof. 

I  warm'd,  I  cloth'd,  Icheer'd  my  guest, 
I  laid  him  on  my  couch  to  rest : 
Then  made  the  earth  my  bed,  and  seem'd 
In  Eden's  garden  while  I  dream' d. 

Stripp'd,  wounded,  beaten  nigh  to  death. 
I  found  him  by  the  highway  side  ; 
I  rous'd  his  pulse,  brought  back  his  breath, 
Reviv'd  his  spirit,  and  supplied 

Wine,  oil,  refreshment — he  was  heal'd  ; 
I  had  myself  a  wound  conceal' d  ; 
But  from  that  hour  forgot  the  smart, 
And  peace  bound  up  my  broken  heart. 

In  prison  I  saw  him  next — condemn' d 
To  meet  a  traitor's  doom  at  morn  ; 
The  tide  of  lying  tongues  I  stemm'd, 
And  honor' d  him  'mid  shame  and  scorn. 

My  friendship's  utmost  zeal  to  try, 
He  asked  if  I  for  him  would  die  ; 
The  flesh  was  weak,  my  blood  ran  chill, 
But  the  free  spirit  cried,  "  I  will  !" 

Then  in  a  moment  to  my  view, 
The  stranger  started  from  disguise  ; 
The  tokens  in  his  hands  I  knew, 
The  Savior  stood  before  mine  eyes. 

He  spake — and  my  poor  name  he  nam'd — 
"  Of  me  thou  hast  not  been  asham'd  ; 
These  deeds  shall  thy  memorial  be  ; 
Fear  not,  thou  didst  them  unto  me. ' ' 

And  when  it  was  done,  Joseph  asked  him  to  repeat  it. 
He  replied  that  he  did  not  feeljike  singing.  He  was  oppressed 
with  a  sense  of  coming  disaster;  but  to  gratify  Hyrum,  he 
sang  the  hymn  again,  with  much  tender  feeling. 

At  four  o'clock  the  guard  was  changed.  A  little  after 
five,  the  jailor  came  in  and  said  that  Stephen  Markham  had 
been  surrounded  by  a  mob  and  driven  from  Carthage.  A 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  491 

little  later  there  was  a  slight  rustling  at  the  outer  door  of  the 
jail,  and  a  cry  of  surrender,  then  a  discharge  of  three  or  four 
guns.  The  plot  had  been  carried  out:  two  hundred  of  the 
mob  came  rushing  into  the  jail  yard,  and  the  guards  fired 
their  pieces  over  the  heads  of  the  assailing  party. 

Many  of  the  mob  rushed  up  the  stairs  while  others  fired 
through  the  open  windows  of  the  jail  into  the  room  where 
the  brethren  were  confined.  The  four  prisoners  sprang 
against  the  door,  but  the  murderers  burst  it  partly  open  and 
pushed  their  guns  into  the  room.  John  Taylor  and  Willard 
Richards,  each  with  a  cane,  tried  to  knock  aside  the  weapons. 
A  shower  of  bullets  came  up  the  stairway  and  through  the 
.door.  Hyrum  was  in  front  of  the  door  when  a  ball  struck 
him  in  the  face  and  he  fell  back  saying: 


As  he  was  falling,  another  bullet  from  the  outside  passed 
through  his  swaying  form,  aud  two  others  from  the  doorway 
entered  his  body  a  moment  later.  When  Hyrum  fell,  Joseph 
exclaimed,  "  Oh,  my  dear  brother  Hyrum  !"  and  opening  the 
door  a  few  inches  he  discharged  his  pistol  into  the  stairway — 
but  two  or  three  barrels  missed  fire. 

When  the  door  could  no  longer  be  held,  and  when  he 
could  no  longer  parry  the  guns,  Elder  Taylor  sprang  toward 
the  window.  A  bullet  from  the  doorway  struck  his  left 
thigh.  Paralyzed  and  unable  to  help  himself  he  fell  on  the 
window  sill,  and  felt  himself  falling  out,  when  by  some  means 
which  he  did  not  understand  at  the  time  he  was  thrown  back- 
ward into  the  room.  A  bullet  fired  from  the  outside  struck 
his  watch  and  the  watch  saved  his  life  in  two  ways,  it  stopped 
the  bullet,  which  probably  would  have  killed  him,  and  the 
force  of  the  ball  in  striking  it  threw  him  into  the  room.  The 
watch  stopped  at  sixteen  minutes  and  twenty-six  seconds  past 
5  o'clock.  After  he  fell  into  the  room  three  other  bullets 
struck  him,  spattering  his  blood  like  rain  upon  the  walls  and 
floor. 

Joseph  saw  that  there  was  no  longer  safety  in  the  room; 
and  thinking  that  he  would  save  the  life  of  Willard  Richards 


492  JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET. 

if  he  himself  should  spring  from  the  room,  he  turned  imme- 
diately from  the  door,  dropped  his  pistol  and  leaped  into  the 
window.  Instantly  two  bullets  jpierced  him  from  the  door, 
and  one  entered  his  right  breast  from  without,  and  he  fell  out- 
ward into  the  hands  of  his  murderers  exclaiming  : 


"OH  LORD,  MY  GOD!" 


When  his  body  struck  the  ground  he  rolled  instantly 
upon  his  face — dead.  As  he  lay  there,  one  of  the  mob,  bare 
footed  and  bare  headed,  wearing  no  coat,  with  his  trousers 
rolled  above  his  knees  and  his  shirt  sleeves  above  his  elbows, 
seized  the  body  of  the  murdered  Prophet  and  set  it  against 
the  south  side  of  the  well  curb.  Colonel  Levi  Williams  then 
ordered  four  men  to  shoot  Joseph.  Standing  about  eight  feet 
from  his  body  they  fired  simultaneously.  The  body  slightly 
cringed  as  the  bullets  entered  it,  and  once  more  Joseph  fell 
upon  his  face.  He  had  smiled  with  sweet  compassion  in  his 
countenance  as  he  gazed  upon  his  murderers  in  the  last 
moment  of  his  life;  and  this  was  the  expression  when  the  face 
was  set  in  death. 

The  Missourians  had  offered  a  large  reward  for  Joseph's 
head ;  and  the  ruffian  who  had  set  him  against  the  well  curb 
now  approached  with  a  glittering  knife  for  the  purpose  of 
severing  the  head  from  the  body.  William  M.  Daniels  who 
claims  to  have  been  an  eye-witness  to  the  proceedings  says 
that  as  he  was  about  to  make  the  awful  stroke  a  vivid  light 
burst  from  the  heavens  upon  the  bloody  scene.  It  passed 
between  Joseph  and  his  murderers,  and  they  were  struck 
with  terror.  The  knife  fell  from  the  powerless  hand  of  the 
ruffian,  and  he  stood  transfixed.  The  muskets  dropped  from 
the  arms  of  Williams'  four  executioners,  and  they  had  not 
the  power  to  move  a  limb. 

Horrified,  the  mob  scattered  in  all  directions.  Williams 
cried  to  them  to  come  back  and  carry  off  the  four  men  who 
still  stood  like  marble  statues,  frozen  with  terror.  They  obeyed, 
and  these  men  were  lifted  into  the  baggage  wagons  as  inert  as 
corpses. 

When  Joseph  fell  from  the  window  the  mob  on  the  stair- 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  493 

way  rushed  down  and  out  of  the  building  to  find  him;  and  it 
was  this  which  saved  the  lives  of  Willard  Richards  and  John 
Taylor.  Willard  started  to  leave  the  room,  thinking  all  were 
dead  but  himself;  but  Elder  Taylor  called  to  him.  He 
returned,  took  up  the  body  of  John,  which  was  bleeding  from 
four  ghastly  wounds,  and  carried  him  into  an  inner  dungeon 
cell  and  placed  him  on  a  filthy  mattress  which  was  lying  there, 
saying:  "If  your  wounds  are  not  fatal  I  want  you  to  live  to 
tell  this  story." 

Nearly  all  the  inhabitants  of  Carthage  followed  the  mob 
in  their  flight  of  horror.  The  governor  came  to  Carthage  in 
the  night,  wrote  an  order  for  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo  to  defend 
themselves,  and  then  the  miserable  coward  fled  to  Quincy. 

Having  provided  as  well  as  possible  for  the  wounds  of 
John  Taylor,  on  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  June  Dr.  Rich- 
ards started  for  Nauvoo  with  the  bodies  of  the  martyrs.  They 
were  met  by  thousands  of  lamenting  Saints  whose  wailings 
ascended  into  the  ears  of  Almighty  God.  Ten  thousand  peo- 
ple were  addressed  by  Apostle  Richards,  Colonel  Markham 
and  others  who  admonished  them  to  keep  the  peace  and  trust 
to  the  law  for  a  remedy  for  the  awful  crimes  which  had  been 
committed,  and  when  the  law  failed,  to  call  upon  God  in 
heaven  to  avenge  them  of  their  wrongs. 

The  bodies  of  the  martyrs  were  taken  to  the  Mansion 
House  and  cared  for  by  loving  friends.  The  loved  ones  of  the 
dead  Prophet  and  Patriarch  were  first  admitted  and  fell  upon 
the  dear  faces  and  kissed  them  and  begged  for  one  more  word 
of  comfort. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  bodies  were  placed  in  coffins 
covered  with  black  velvet,  and  the  caskets  were  then  placed  in 
rough  pine  boxes.  The  doors  were  thrown  open,  and  ten 
thousand  people  walked  through  the  Mansion  and  gazed  upon 
the  martyred  clay.  All  this  time  the  people  were  in  constant 
expectation  of  an  attack  by  the  mob  army  upon  the  defenseless 
city. 

At  night  the  house  was  closed  and  then  the  coffins  were 
lifted  out  of  the  boxes  and  concealed  in  an  apartment  of  the 
Mansion  while  bags  of  sand  took  their  place  in  the  outer  cask- 


494  JOSEPH    THE     PROPHET. 

ets.  A  mock  funeral  was  held ;  the  boxes  were  carried  in  a 
hearse  to  the  graveyard  and  there  deposited  in  the  earth  with 
the  usual  ceremonies.  This  course  seemed  necessary,  because 
the  enemies  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  had  taken  a  ghastly  oath 
to  steal  the  remains. 

At  midnight  the  bodies  were  taken  in  their  caskets  from 
the  Mansion  House  by  DimickB.  Huntington,  Edward  Hunter, 
William  D.  Huntington,  William  Marks,  Jonathan  H. 
Holmes,  Gilbert  Goldsmith,  Alpheus  Cutler,  Lorenzo  D.  Was- 
son,  Philip  B.  Lewis  and  James  Emmett  to  the  Nauvoo  House, 
the  foundation  of  which  was  then  built,  and  they  were  interred 
in  the  basement.  Immediately  afterward,  a  terrific  storm  of 
rain  came  on  accompanied  by  thunder  and  lightning.  The 
tears  of  heaven  obliterated  all  traces  of  the  newly  dug  graves, 
and  the  bodies  remained  there  in  safe  repose  until  a  later  time 
when  they  were  removed  elsewhere. 

The  woe  of  the  Saints  cannot  be  described.  They  were 
menaced  with  extermination.  Their  Prophet  and  Patriarch 
were  dead.  Only  two  of  the  Apostles  were  there,  and  one  of 
these  was  supposed  to  be  dying. 

The  enemies  of  truth  were  sure  that  they  had  now 
destroyed  the  work.  And  yet  it  lives,  greater  and  stronger 
after  the  lapse  of  years!  It  is  indestructible  for  it  is  the  work 
of  God.  And  knowing  that  it  is  the  eternal  work  of  God,  we 
know  that  Joseph  Smith,  who  established  it,  was  a  Prophet 
holy  and  pure. 


ANECDOTES    AKD    SAYINGS    OF    THE    PROPHET. 

"  SEEK  ye  wisdom  from  the  best  books." 

"THE  cause  of  human  liberty  is  the  cause  of  God." 

"Ws  will  never  be  justly  charged  with  the  sin  of  ingrat- 
itude." 

"BAPTISM  is  a  covenant  with  God  that  we  will  do  His 
will." 

"  ALL  men  will  be  raised  from  the  grave  by  the  power  ot 
God,  having  spirit  in  their  bodies  and  not  blood." 

"  OUR  affections  should  be  placed  upon  God  and  His  work 
more  intensely  than  upon  our  fellow-beings." 

"  I  WILL  walk  through  the  gates  of  heaven,  and  claim 
what  I  seal  and  those  that  follow  me  and  my  counsel." 

"I  UNDERSTAND  some  law,  and  more  justice  and  know  as 
much  about  the  rights  of  American  citizens  as  any  man." 

"  ALL  children  are  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  moment  they  leave  this  world  they  are  taken 
to  the  bosom  of  Abraham." 

"  THE  Lord  once  told  me  that  what  I  asked  for  I  should 
have.  I  have  been  afraid  to  ask  God  to  kill  my  enemies,  lest 
some  of  them  should,  peradventure,  repent." 

"  BEWARE,  oh  earth !  how  you  fight  against  the  Saints  of 
God  and  shed  innocent  blood ;  for,  in  the  days  of  Elijah,  his 
enemies  came  upon  him,  and  fire  was  called  down  from 
heaven  to  destroy  them." 

"  SECTARIAN  priests  cry  out  concerning  me  and  ask :  'Why 
is  it  that  this  babbler  gets  so  many  followers  and  retains 
them  ? '  I  answer :  i  It  is  because  I  possess  the  principle  of 
love.  All  that  I  offer  the  world  is  a  good  heart  and  a  good 
hand.'" 


496  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

"  I  AM  a  rough  stone.  The  sound  of  the  hammer  and 
chisel  was  never  heard  on  me  until  the  Lord  took  me  in  hand. 
I  desire  the  learning  and  wisdom  of  heaven  alone." 

"I  ASKED  a  short  time  since  for  the  Lord  to  deliver  me 
out  of  the  hands  of  the  governor ;  and  if  it  needs  must  be  to 
accomplish  it  to  take  him  away;  and  the  next  news  that  came 
pouring  down  from  there  was  that  Governor  Reynolds  had 
shot  himself." 

SPEAKING  of  the  death  of  Judge  Higbee,  a  just  and  good 
man,  Joseph  said: 

"Who  is  there  that  would  not  give  all  his  goods  to  feed 
the  poor,  and  pour  out  his  gold  and  silver  to  the  four  winds 
to  go  where  Elias  Higbee  has  gone?" 

AT  Far  West,  Missouri,  on  the  4th  day  of  July,  1838,  the 
liberty  pole  was  struck  by  lightning  and  shattered  into  splin- 
ters. Joseph  walked  around  on  the  fragments,  saying: 

"  As  that  pole  was  splintered,  so  shall  the  nations  of  th  e 
earth  be." 

SOON  after  the  nomination  of  the  Prophet  for  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  United  States,  Apostle  George  A.  Smith  related 
that  Elder  Farnham  heard  the  people  in  St.  Louis  say : 

"  Things  have  come  to  a  strange  pass  if  Joseph  Smith  is 
elected  President,  he  will  raise  the  devil  with  Missouri;  and 
if  he  is  not  elected  he  will  raise  the  devil  anyhow." 

AN  angry  sectarian  in  Kirtland  commanded  fire  to  come 
down  out  of  heaven  to  consume  the  Prophet  and  his  house. 
Joseph  smiled  and  said  : 

"You  are  one  of  Baal's  prophets;  your  God  does  not 
hear  you." 

A  VISITOR,  who  remarked  that  the  people  had  been  gath- 
ered from  the^four  quarters  of  the  earth,  of  different  races  and 
creeds,  asked  the  Prophet: 

"Mr.  Smith,  how  do  you  govern  these  people?" 
"I  teach  them    correct  principles  and  they  govern  them- 
selves." 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  497 

"SALVATION  cannot  come  without  revelation;  it  is  in  vain 
for  any  man  to  minister  without  it.  ~No  man  is  a  minister  of 
Jesus  Christ  without  being  a  Prophet.  No  man  can  be  a 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ  except  he  has  the  testimony  of  Jesus, 
and  this  is  the  spirit  of  prophecy." 

THE  Prophet  was  preaching  in  Philadelphia,  when  a  man 
called  out  for  a  sign  and  would  not  let  Joseph  proceed  peacea- 
bly with  his  sermon.  After  having  vainly  warned  the  man 
of  what  Christ  said  concerning  sign-seekers,  the  person  still 
persisting,  Joseph  said  to  the  congregation : 

"  This  man  is  an  adulterer." 

"It  is  true,"  cried  another,  "for  I  caught  him  in  the  very 
act;"  and  the  sign-seeker  afterwards  confessed  that  the  charge 
was  correct. 

"  THE  Saints  can  testify  whether  I  am  willing  to  lay  down 
my  life  for  my  brethren.  If  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  I 
have  been  willing  to  die  for  a  Mormon,  I  am  bold  to  declare 
before  heaven  that  I  am  just  as  ready  to  die  in  defending  the 
rights  of  a  Presbyterian,  a  Baptist  or  a  good  man  of  any  other 
denomination ;  for  the  same  principle  which  would  trample 
upon  the  rights  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  would  trample  upon 
the  rights  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  or  of  any  other  denomina- 
tion who  may  be  unpopular  and  too  weak  to  defend  them- 
selves." 

"  THERE  are  two  Comforters  spoken  of.  The  first  Com- 
forter is  the  Holy  Ghost.  *  *  *  Now  what  is  this  other 
Comforter  ?  It  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Himself.  When  any 
man  obtains  this  last  Comforter  he  will  have  the  personage  of 
Jesus  Christ  to  attend  him,  or  appear  unto  him  from  time  to 
time,  and  even  He  will  manifest  the  Father  unto  him.  They 
will  take  up  their  abode  in  him,  and  the  visions  of  the  heavens 
will  be  opened  unto  him  and  the  Lord  will  teach  him  face  to 
face,  and  he  may  have  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  mysteries  of 
the  kingdom  of  God;  and  this  is  the  state  and  place  the 
ancient  Saints  arrived  at  when  they  had  such  glorious  visions." 


32 


498  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

SUNDAY,  March  10,  1844 — "  I  prophesy  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  that  Christ  will  not  come  this  year;  and  I  also 
propfoesy  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  that  Christ  will  not  come 
in  forty  years ;  and  if  God  ever  spoke  by  my  mouth  He  will 
not  come  in  that  length  of  time.  Jesus  Christ  never  did 
reveal  to  any  man  the  precise  time  that  He  would  come." 

"  THE  Savior,  Moses  and  Elias,  gave  the  keys  of  the  Priest- 
hood to  Peter,  James  and  John,  on  the  Mount,  when  they 
were  transfigured  before  Him.  *  *  *  How  have  we  come 
at  the  Priesthood  in  the  last  days?  It  came  down  in  regular 
succession.  Peter,  James  and  John  had  it  given  to  them, 
ane  they  gave  it  to  others."  [The  Prophet  and  Oliver  Cow- 
dery.] 

THE  Laws,  and  Fosters,  and  Higbees  had  threatened  to 
kill  Joseph,  alleging  that  he  was  a  false  Prophet  and  they 
would  do  well  to  rid  the  world  of  him.  He  preached  a 
funeral  sermon  upon  Elder  King  Follett,  on  Sunday,  the  7th 
day  of  April,  1844.  Referring  to  the  murderous  hate  of  his 
enemies  he  said  : 

"If  any  man  is  authorized  to  take  away  my  life  because 
he  thinks  and  says  I  am  a  false  teacher,  then,  upon  the  same 
principle,  we  should  be  justified  in  taking  away-  the  life  of 
every  false  teacher;  and  where  would  be  the  end  of  blood? 
and  who  would  not  be  the  sufferer  ? 

"  But  meddle  not  with  any  man  for  his  religion ;  and  all 
governments  ought  to  permit  every  man  .to  enjoy  his  religion 
unmolested.  No  man  is  authorized  to  take  away  life  in  con- 
sequence of  difference  of  religion,  which  all  laws  and  govern- 
ments ought  to  tolerate  and  protect,  right  or  wrong.  Every 
man  has  a  natural,  and,  in  our  country,  a  constitutional  right 
to  be  a  false  prophet  as  well  as  a  true  prophet.  If  I  show, 
verily,  that  I  have  the  truth  of  God,  and  show  that  ninety- 
nine  out  of  every  hundred  professing  to  be  religious  ministers 
are  false  teachers,  having  no  authority,  while  they  pretend  to 
hold  the  keys  of  God's  kingdom  on  earth,  and  was  to  kill 
them  because  they  are  false  teachers,  it  would  deluge  the 
whole  world  with  blood." 


JOSEPH     THE    PROPHET.  499 

ELDER  0.  B.  HUNTINGTON  relates  the  following  circum- 
stance, which  was  detailed  to  him  by  Father  Zera  Cole  while 
they  were  at  work  in  the  Logan  temple  for  the  dead : 

Brother  Cole  was  with  the  Camp  of  Zion  which  went 
up  to  Missouri  in  1834.  While  traveling  across  avast  prairie, 
treeless  and  waterless,  they  encamped  at  night  after  a  long  and 
wearisome  day's  march.  They  had  been  without  water  since 
early  morning,  and  men  and  animals  suffered  greatly  from 
thirst,  for  it  had  been  one  of  the  hottest  days  of  June.  Joseph 
sat  in  his  tent  door  looking  out  upon  the  scene.  All  at  once 
he  called  for  a  spade.  When  it  was  brought  he  looked  about 
him  and  selected  a  spot,  the  most  convenient'  in  the  camp  for 
men  and  teams  to  get  water.  Then  he  dug  a  shallow  well, 
and  immediately  the  water  came  bubbling  up  into  it  and  filled 
it,  so  that  the  horses  and  mules  could  stand  upon  the  brink 
and  drink  from  it.  While  the  camp  stayed  there,  the  well 
remained  fall,  despite  the  fact  that  about  two  hundred  men 
and  scores  of  horses  and  mules  were  supplied  from  it. 

Elder  William  Cahoon  also  told  Brother  Huntington  of 
this  incident. 

"  THERE  are  but  a  few  beings  in  the  world  who  under- 
stand rightly  the  character  of  God.  The  great  majority  of 
mankind  do  not  comprehend  anything,  either  that  which  is 
past  or  that  which  is  to  come,  as  it  respects  their  relationship 
to  God.  *  *  *  If  a  man  learns  nothing  more  than  to  eat, 
drink  and  sleep,  and  does  not  comprehend  the  designs  of  God, 
then  the  beast  comprehends  as  much.  If  men  do  not  compre- 
hend the  character  of  God  they  do  not  comprehend  themselves. 
I  want  to  go  back  to  the  beginning,  and  so  lift  your  minds 
into  a  more  lofty  sphere  and  a  more  exalted  understanding 
than  what  the  human  mind  generally  aspires  to. 

"I  want  to  ask  this  congregation — every  man,  woman 
and  child — to  answer  the  question  in  their  own  hearts,  what 
kind  of  a  being  is  God  ?  Ask  yourselves ;  turn  your  thoughts 
into  your  hearts,  and  say  if  any  of  you  have  seen,  heard  or 
communed  with  Him.  This  is  a  question  that  may  occupy 
your  attention  for  a  long  time.  I  again  repeat  the  question, 


500  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

What  kind  of  a  being  is  God?  Does  any  man  or  woman 
know?  The  Scriptures  inform  us  that  'This  is  life  eternal, 
that  they  might  know  thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent.'" 

ON  the  25th  day  of  June,  1844,  at  about  half  past  nine  a. 
m.,  after  repeated  solicitations  from  the  Prophet  for  a  personal 
interview,  Governor  Ford  came  to  Carthage  jail,  in  company 
with  Colonel  Geddes,  and  the  following  conversation  occurred, 
as  reported  by  Apostle  John  Taylor : 

Governor:  "General  Smith,  I  believe  you  have  given  me 
a  general  outline  of  the  difficulties  that  have  existed  in  the 
country  in  the  documents  forwarded  to  me  by  Dr.  Bernhisel 
and  Mr.  Taylor;  but,  unfortunately,  there  seems  to  be  a  great 
discrepancy  between  your  statements  and  those  of  your  enemies. 
It  is  true  that  you  are  substantiated  by  evidence  and  affidavit, 
but  for  such  an  extraordinary  excitement  as  that  which  is  now 
in  the  country,  there  must  be  some  cause,  and  I  attribute  the 
last  outbreak  to  the  destruction  of  the  Expositor,  and  to  your 
refusal  to  comply  with  the  writ  issued  by  Esq.  Morrison.  The 
press  in  the  United  States  is  looked  upon  as' the  great  bulwark 
of  American  freedom,  and  its  destruction  in  Nauvoo  was  rep- 
resented and  looked  upon  as  a  high-handed  measure,  and 
manifests  to  the  people  a  disposition  on  your  part  to  suppress 
the  liberty  of  speech  and  of  the  press;  this,  with  your  refusal 
to  comply  with  the  requisition  of  a  writ,  I  conceive  to  be  the 
principal  cause  of  this  difficulty,  and  you  are,  moreover,  repre- 
sented to  me  as  turbulent  and  defiant  of  the  laws  and  insti- 
tutions of  our  country." 

General  Smith:  "Governor  Ford,  you,  sir,  as  governor 
of  this  state,  are  aware  of  the  prosecutions  and  persecutions 
that  I  have  endured.  You  know  well  that  our  course  has 
been  peaceable  and  law-abiding,  for  I  have  furnished  this  state, 
ever  since  our  settlement  here,  with  sufficient  evidence  of  my 
pacific  intentions,  and  those  of  the  people  with  whom  I  am 
associated,  by  the  endurance  of  every  conceivable  indignity 
and  lawless  outrage  perpetrated  upon  me  and  upon  this  people 
since  our  settlement  here,  and  you  yourself  know  that  I  have 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  501 

kept  you  well  posted  in  relation  to  all  matters  associated  with 
the  late  difficulties.  If  you  have  not  got  some  of  my  com- 
munications, it  has  not  been  my  fault. 

"Agreeable  to  your  orders,  I  assembled  the  Nauvoo 
Legion  for  the  protection  of  Nauvoo  and  the  surrounding 
country  against  an  armed  band  of  marauders,  and  ever  since 
they  have  been  mustered  I  have  almost,  daily  communicated 
with  you  in  regard  to  all  the  leading  events  that  have  trans- 
pired; and  whether  in  the  capacity  of  mayor  of  the  city,  or 
lieutenant-general  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  I  have  striven, 
according  to  the  best  of  my  judgment,  to  preserve  the  peace 
and  administer  even-handed  justice  to  all;  but  my  motives  are 
impugned,  my  acts  are  misconstrued,  and  I  am  grossly  and 
wickedly  misrepresented.  I  suppose  I  am  indebted  for  my 
incarceration  here  to  the  oath  of  a  worthless  man  that  was 
arraigned  before  me  and  fined  for  abusing  and  maltreating  his 
lame,  helpless  brother. 

"  That  I  should  be  charged  by  you,  sir,  who  know  better, 
of  acting  contrary  to  law,  is  to  me  a  matter  of  surprise.  Was 
it  the  Mormons  or  our  enemies  who  first  commenced  these 
difficulties?  You  know  well  we  did  not;  and  when  this 
turbulent,  outrageous  people  commenced  their  insurrectionary 
movements,  I  made  you  acquainted  with  them,  officially,  and 
asked  your  advice,  and  have  followed  strictly  your  counsel  in 
every  particular.  Who  ordered  out  the  Nauvoo  Legion  ?  I  did 
under  your  direction.  For  what  purpose?  To  suppress  these 
insurrectionary  movements.  It  was  at  your  instance,  sir,  that 
I  issued  a  proclamation  calling  upon  the  Nauvoo  Legion  to  be 
in  readiness,  at  a  moment's  warning,  to  guard  against  the 
incursions  of  mobs,  and  gave  an  order  to  Jonathan  Dunham, 
acting  major-general,  to  that  effect.  Am  I  then  to  be  charged 
for  the  acts  of  others;  and  because  lawlessness  and  mobocracy 
abound,  and  I,  when  carrying  out  your  instructions,  to  be 
charged  with  not  abiding  law  ?  Why  is  it  that  I  must  be 
made  accountable  for  other  men's  acts?  If  there  is  trouble  in 
the  country,  neither  I  nor  my  people  made  it,  and  all  that  we 
have  ever  done,  after  much  endurance  on  our  part,  is  to  main- 
tain and  uphold  the  constitution  and  the  institutions  of  our 


502  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

country,  and  to  protect  an  injured,  innocent  and  persecuted 
people  against  misrule  and  mob  violence. 

"  Concerning  the  destruction  of  the  press  to  which  you 
refer,  men  may  differ  somewhat  in  their  opinions  about  it ; 
but  can  it  be  supposed  that  after  all  the  indignities  to  which 
we  have  been  subjected  outside,  that  this  people  could  suffer 
such  a  set  of  worthless  vagabonds  to  come  into  our  city,  and 
right  under  our  own  eyes  and  protection,  vilify  and  calumniate 
not  only  ourselves,  but  the  character  of  our  wives  and  daugh- 
ters, as  was  impudently  and  unblushingly  done  in  that  infamous 
and  filthy  sheet?  There  is  not  a  city  in  the  United  States 
that  would  have  suffered  such  an  indignity  for  twenty-four 
hours.  Our  whole  people  were  indignant,  and  loudly  called 
upon  our  city  authorities  for  a  redress  of  their  grievances, 
which  if  not  attended  to,  they  themselves  would  have  taken 
the  matter  into  their  own  hands,  and  have  summarily  punished 
the  audacious  wretches,  as  they  deserved. 

"  The  principles  of  equal  rights  that  have  been  instilled 
into  our  bosoms  from  our  cradles,  as  American  citizens  forbid 
us  submitting  to  every  foul  indignity,  succumbing  and  pander- 
ing to  wretches  so  infamous  as  these.  But,  independent  of 
this,  the  course  that  we  pursued  we  considered  to  be  strictly 
legal;  for,  notwithstanding  the  insult,  we  were  anxious  to  be 
governed  strictly  by  law,  and  therefore  convened  the  city 
council;  and,  being  desirous  in  our  deliberations  to  abide  law, 
summoned  legal  counsel  to  be  present  on  the  occasion. 

"  Upon  investigating  the  matter  we  found  that  our  city 
charter  gave  us  power  to  remove  all  nuisances;  and,  further- 
more, upon  consulting  Blackstone  upon  what  might  be  con- 
sidered a  nuisance  that  distinguished  lawyer,  who  is  considered 
authority,  I  believe,  in  all  our  courts,  states,  among  other 
things,  that  a  libelous  and  filthy  press  may  be  considered  a 
nuisance  and  abated  as  such. 

"  Here  then  one  of  the  most  eminent  English  barristers, 
whose  works  are  considered  standard  with  us,  declares  that  a 
libelous  and  filthy  press  may  be  considered  a  nuisance,  and 
our  own  charter,  given  us  by  the  legislature  of  this  state, 
gives  us  the  power  to  remove  nuisances;  and  by  ordering  that 


JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET.  503 

press  abaited  as  a  nuisance,  we  conceived  that  we  were  acting 
strictly  in  accordance  with  law.  "We  made  that  order  in  our 
corporate  capacity,  and  the  city  marshal  carried  it  out.  It  is 
possible  there  may  have  been  some  better  way,  but  I  must 
confess  that  I  could  not  see  it. 

"  In  relation  to  the  writ  served  upon  us,  we  were  willing 
to  abide  the  consequences  of  our  own  acts,  but  were  unwilling, 
in  answering  a  writ  of  that  kind,  to  submit  to  illegal  exactions 
sought  to  be  imposed  upon  us  under  the  pretence  of  law,  when 
we  know  they  were  in  open  violation  of  it. 

"  When  that  document  was  presented  to  me  by  Mr.  Bet- 
tisworth,  I  offered,  in  the  presence  of  more  than  twenty  per- 
sons, to  go  to  any  other  magistrate,  either  in  our  city  or  Appa- 
noose,  or  any  other  place  where  we  should  be  safe,  but  we 
refused  to  put  ourselves  into  the  power  of  a  mob. 

"  What  right  had  that  constable  to  refuse  our  request?  He 
had  none  according  to  law;  for  you  know,  Governor  Ford, 
that  the  statute  law  in  Illinois  is,  that  the  parties  served  with 
the  writ i  shall  go  before  him  who  issued  it,  or  some  other  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.'  Why,  then,  should  we  be  dragged  to 
Carthage,  where  the  law  does  not  compel  us  to  go?  Does  not 
this  look  like  many  others  of  our  prosecutions  with  which  you 
are  acquainted  ?  And  had  we  not  a  right  to  expect  foul  play  ? 

"This  very  act  was  a  breach  of  law  on  his  part — an 
assumption  of  power  that  did  not  belong  to  him,  and  an 
attempt,  at  least,  to  deprive  us  of  our  legal  and  constitutional 
rights  and  privileges.  What  could  we  do  under  the  circum- 
stances different  from  what  we  did  do  ?  We  sued  for,  and 
obtained  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  from  the  municipal  court,  by 
which  we  were  delivered  from  the  hands  of  Constable  Bettis- 
worth,  and  brought  before  and  acquitted  by  the  municipal 
court. 

"  After  our  acquittal,  in  a  conversation  with  Judge 
Thomas,  although  he  considered  the  acts  of  the  party  illegal, 
he  advised,  that  to  satisfy  the  people,  we  had  better  go  before 
another  magistrate  who  was  not  in  our  Church. 

"In  accordance  with  his  advice  we  went  before  Esq. 
Wells,  with  whom  you  are  well  acquainted :  both  parties  were 


504  JOSEPH    THE    PKOPHET. 

present,  witnesses  were  called  on  both  sides,  the  case  was  fully 
investigated,  and  we  were  again  dismissed. 

"  And  what  is  this  pretended  desire  to  enforce  law,  and 
these  lying,  base  rumors  put  into  circulation  for,  but  to  seek, 
through  mob  influence,  under  pretence  of  law,  to  make  us 
submit  to  requisitions  that  are  contrary  to  law,  and  subversive 
of  every  principle  of  justice  ? 

"And  when  you,  sir,  required  us  to  come  out  here,  we 
came,  not  because  it  was  legal,  but  because  you  required  it  of 
us,  and  we  were  desirous  of  showing  to  you  and  to  all  men 
that  we  shrink  not  from  the  most  rigid  investigation  of  our  acts. 

"We  certainly  did  expect  other  treatment  than  to  be 
immured  in  a  jail  at  the  instance  of  these  men,  and  I  think, 
from  your  plighted  faith,  we  had  a  right  to,  after  disbanding 
our  own  forces,  and  putting  ourselves  entirely  in  your  hands; 
and  now,  after  having  fulfilled  my  part,  sir,  as  a  man  and  an 
American  citizen,  I  call  upon  you,  Governor  Ford,  and  think 
that  I  have  a  right  to  do  so,  to  deliver  us  from  this  place,  and 
rescue  us  from  this  outrage  that  is  sought  to  be  practiced 
upon  us  by  a  set  of  infamous  scoundrels." 

Gov.  Ford:  "But  you  have  placed  men  under  arrest, 
detained  men  as  prisoners,  and  given  passes  to  others,  some  of 
which  I  have  seen.  " 

John  P.  Greene,  City  Marshal:  "Perhaps  I  can  explain. 
Since  these  difficulties  have  commenced,  you  are  aware  that  we 
have  been  placed  under  very  peculiar  circumstances,  our  city 
has  been  placed  under  a  very  rigid  police  guard;  in  addition 
to  this,  frequent  guards  have  been  placed  outside  the  city  to 
prevent  any  sudden  surprise,  and  those  guards  have  questioned 
suspected  or  suspicious  persons  as  to  their  business. 

"  To  strangers,  in  some  instances,  passes  have  been  given, 
to  prevent  difficulty  in  passing  those  guards.  It  is  some  of 
those  passes  that  you  have  seen.  No  person,  sir,  has  been 
imprisoned  without  a  legal  cause  in  our  city." 

Governor  :  "  Why  did  you  not  give  a  more  speedy  answer 
to  the  posse  that  I  sent  out?" 

Gen.  Smith:  "We  had  matters  of  importance  to  consult 
upon.  Your  letter  showed  anything  but  an  amicable  spirit. 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  505 

We  have  suffered  immensely  in  Missouri  from  mobs,  in  loss  of 
property,  imprisonment  and  otherwise. 

"  It  took  some  time  for  us  to  weigh  duly  these  matters. 
"We  could  not  decide  upon  matters  of  such  importance  imme- 
diately, and  your  posse  were  too  hasty  in  returning.  We  were 
consulting  for  a  large  people,  and  vast  interests  were  at  stake. 

"  We  had  been  outrageously  imposed  upon,  and  knew  not 
how  far  we  could  trust  anyone ;  besides,  a  question  necessarily 
arose,  how  shall  we  come  ?  Your  request  was  that  we  should 
come  unarmed.  It  became  a  matter  of  serious  importance  to 
decide  how  far  promises  could  be  trusted,  and  how  far  we  were 
safe  from  mob  violence." 

Col  Geddes;  "  It  certainly  did  look  from  all  I  have  heard, 
from  the  general  spirit  of  violence  and  mobocracy  that  here 
prevails,  that  it  was  not  safe  for  you  to  come  unpro- 
tected." 

Governor:  "I  think  that  sufficient  time  was  not  allowed  by 
the  posse  for  you  to  consult  and  get  ready.  They  were  too 
hasty;  but  I  suppose  they  found  themselves  bound  by  their 
orders.  I  think,  too,  there  is  a  great  deal  of  truth  in  what  you 
say,  and  your  reasoning  is  plausible;  yet,  I  must  beg  leave  to 
differ  from  you  in  relation  to  the  acts  of  the  city  council. 
That  council,  in  my  opinion,  had  no  right  to  act  in  a  legisla- 
tive capacity,  and  in  that  of  the  judiciary. 

"  They  should  have  passed  a  law  in  relation  to  the  matter, 
and  then  the  municipal  court,  upon  complaint,  could  have 
removed  it;  but  for  the  city  council  to  take  upon  themselves 
the  law-making  and  the  execution  of  the  law  is,  in  my  opinion, 
wrong;  besides,  these  men  ought  to  have  had  a  hearing 
before  their  property  was  destroyed,  to  destroy  it  without  was 
an  infringement  of  their  rights ;  besides,  it  is  so  contrary  to 
the  feelings  of  American  people  to  interfere  with  the  press. 

"  And  furthermore,  I  cannot  but  think  that  it  would  have 
been  more  judicious  for  you  to  have  gone  with  Mr.  Bet- 
tis worth  to  Carthage,  notwithstanding  the  law  did  not 
require  it.  Concerning  your  being  in  jail,  I  am  sorry  for  that, 
I  wish  it  had  been  otherwise.  I  hope  you  will  soon  be  released, 
but  I  cannot  interfere." 


BANCROFT 

LIBRARY 


506  JOSEPH     THE     PROPHET. 

Gen.  Smith:  "  Governor  Ford,  allow  me,  sir,  to  bring 
one  thing  to  your  mind,  that  you  seem  to  have  overlooked. 
You  state  that  you  think  it  would  have  heen  better  for  us  to 
have  submitted  to  the  requisition  of  Constable  Bettisworth, 
and  to  have  gone  to  Carthage. 

"  Do  you  not  know,  sir,  that  that  writ  was  served  at  the 
instance  of  an  anti-Mormon  mob,  who  had  passed  resolutions 
and  published  them  to  the  effect  that  they  would  exterminate 
the  Mormon  leaders;  and  are  you  not  informed  that  Captain 
Anderson  was  not  only  threatened  when  coming  to  Nauvoo, 
but  had  a  gun  fired  at  his  boat  by  this  said  mob  in  Warsaw, 
when  coming  up  to  Nauvoo,  and  that  this  very  thing  was 
made  use  of  as  a  means  to  get  us  into  their  hands,  and  we 
could  not,  without  taking  an  armed  force  with  us,  go  there 
without,  according  to  their  published  declarations,  going  into 
the  jaws  of  death? 

"  To  have  taken  a  force  would  only  have  fanned  the 
excitement,  as  they  would  have  stated  that  we  wanted  to  use 
intimidation,  therefore  we  thought  it  the  most  judicious  to 
avail  ourselves  of  the  protection  of  the  law." 

Governor:   "  I  see,  I  see." 

Gen.  Smith:  "Furthermore,  in  relation  to  the  press,  you 
say  that  you  differ  from  me  in  opinion ;  be  it  so,  the  thing  after 
all  is  only  a  legal  difficulty,  and  the  courts  I  should  judge 
competent  to  decide  on  that  matter. 

"If  our  act  was  illegal,  we  are  willing  to  meet  it;  and 
although  I  cannot  see  the  distinction  that  you  draw  about  the 
acts  of  the  city  council,  and  what  difference  it  could  have 
made  in  point  of  fact,  law  or  justice,  between  the  city  coun- 
cil's acting  together  or  separate,  or  how  much  more  legal  it 
would  have  been  for  the  municipal  court,  who  were  a  part  of 
the  city  council,  to  act  separate,  instead  of  with  the  coun- 
cillors. 

"  Yet,  if  it  is  deemed  that  we  did  a  wrong  in  destroying 
that  press,  we  refuse  not  to  pay  for  it.  "We  are  desirous  to  ful- 
fill the  law  in  every  particular,  and  are  responsible  for  our  acts. 

"You  say  that  the  parties  ought  to  have  a  hearing.  Had  it 
been  a  civil  suit,  this  of  course  would  have  been  proper;  but 


JOSEPH    THE    PROPHET.  507 

there  was  a  flagrant  violation  of  every  principle  of  right,  a 
nuisance,  and  it  was  abated  on  the  same  principle  that  any 
nuisance,  stench  or  putrified  carcase  would  have  been 
removed. 

" Our  first  step,  therefore,  was  to  stop  the  foul,  noisome, 
filthy  sheet,  and  then  the  next,  in  our  opinion,  would  have 
been  to  have  prosecuted  the  man  for  a  breach  of  public 
decency. 

"And  furthermore,  again,  let  me  say,  Governor  Ford,  I 
shall  look  to  you  for  our  protection.  I  believe  you  are  talking 
of  going  to  Nauvoo;  if  you  go,  sir,  I  wish  to  go  along.  I 
refuse  not  to  answer  any  law,  but  I  do  not  consider  myself 
safe  here." 

Governor :  "I  am  in  hopes  that  you  will  be  acquitted ;  but  if 
I  go,  I  will  certainly  take  you  along.  I  do  not,  however,  appre- 
hend danger.  I  think  you  are  perfectly  safe,  either  here  or 
anywhere  else.  I  cannot,  however,  interfere  with  the  law.  I 
am  placed  in  peculiar  circumstances,  and  seem  to  be  blamed 
by  all  parties." 

Gen.  Smith:  "Governor  Ford,  I  ask  nothing  but  what  is 
legal.  I  have  a  right  to  expect  protection,  at  least  from  you; 
for,  independent  of  law,  you  have  pledged  your  faith,  and  that 
of  the  state,  for  my  protection,  and  I  wish  to  go  to  Nauvoo." 

Governor:  "And  you  shall  have  protection,  General  Smith. 
I  did  not  make  this  promise  without  consulting  my  officers, 
who  all  pledged  their  honor  to  its  fulfillment.  I  do  not  know 
that  I  shall  go  to-morrow  to  Nauvoo,  but  if  I  do,  I  will  take 
you  along." 

The  governor  left  after  saying  that  the  prisoners  were 
under  his  protection,  and  again  pledging  himself  that  they 
should  be  protected  from  violence,  and  telling  them  that  if 
the  troops  marched  the  next  morning  to  Nauvoo,  as  he  then 
expected,  they  would  probably  be  taken  along,  in  order  to 
ensure  their  personal  safety. 


APPENDIX 


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APPENDIX. 


NOTE    2. 


"As  you  pass  on  the  mail  road  from  Palmyra,  Wayne  County,  to 
Canandaigua,  Ontario  County,  New  York,  before  arriving  at  the  little 
village  of  Manchester,  say  from  three  to  four,  or  about  four  miles  from  Pal- 
myra, you  pass  a  large  hill  on  the  east  side  of  the  road.  Why  I  say  large,  is 
because  it  is  as  large,  perhaps,  as  any  in  that  country 

"The  north  end  rises  quite  suddenly  until  it  assumes  a  level  with  the 
more  southerly  extremity,  and  I  think  I  may  say,  an  elevation  higher  than 
at  the  south,  a  short  distance,  say  half  or  three-fourths  of  a  mile.  As  you 
pass  toward  Canandaigua  it  lessens  gradually,  until  the  surface  assumes  its 
common  level,  or  is  broken  by  other  smaller  hills  or  ridges,  water  courses  and 
ravines.  I  thiok  I  am  justified  in  saying  that  this  is  the  highest  hill  for 
some  distance  round,  and  I  am  certain  that  its  appearance,  as  it  rises  so 
suddenly  from  a  plain  on  the  north,  must  attract  the  notice  of  the  traveler  as 
he  passes  by.  The  north  end  (which  has  been  described  as  rising  suddenly 
above  the  plain)  forms  a  promontory  without  timber,  but  covered  with  grass. 
As  you  pass  to  the  south  you  soon  come  to  scattering  timber,  the  surface 
having  been  cleared  by  art  or  wind  ;  and  a  short  distance  further  left,  you 
are  surrounded  with  the  common  forest  of  the  country.  It  is  necessary  to 
observe  that  even  the  part  cleared  was  only  occupied  for  pasturage ;  its 
steep  ascent  and  narrow  summit  not  admitting  the  plow  of  the  husbandman 
with  any  degree  of  ease  or  profit.  It  was  at  the  second  mentioned  place, 
where  the  record  was  found  to  be  deposited,  on  the  west  side  of  the  hill,  not 
far  from  the  top  down  its  side  ;  and  when  I  visited  the  place  in  the 
year  1830,  there  were  several  trees  standing — enough  to  cause  a  shade  in 
summer,  but  not  so  much  as  to  prevent  the  surface  being  covered  with  grass, 
which  was  also  the  case  when  the  record  was  first  found. ' ' 

NOTE    3. 

THE  record  of  these  inhuman  proceedings  is  made  up  mainly  from  the 
mobs'  own  official  report  of  their  doings. 

NOTE   4. 

THE  revelation  in  our  day  of  the  doctrine  of  baptism  for  the  dead  may  be 
said  to  have  constituted  a  new  epoch  in  the  history  of  our  race.  At 
the  time  the  Prophet  Joseph  received  that  revelation  the  belief  was  general 
in  Christendom  that  at  death  the  destiny  of  the  soul  was  fixed  irrevocably 
and  for  all  eternity.  If  not  rewarded  with  endless  happiness,  then  endless 
torment  was  its  doom,  beyond  all  possibility  of  redemption  or  change.  The 
horrible  and  monstrous  doctrine,  so  much  at  variance  with  every  element  of 
divine  justice,  was  generally  believed,  that  the  heathen  nations  who  had 
died  without  a  knowledge  of  the  true  Grod  and  the  redemption  wrought  out 
by  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  would  all  be  eternally  consigned  to  hell.  The 
belief  upon  this  point  is  illustrated  by  the  reply  of  a  certain  Bishop  to  the 
inquiry  of  the  king  of  the  Franks,  when  the  king  was  about  to  submit  to 


APPENDIX.  511 

baptism  at  the  hands  of  the  Bishop.  The  king  was  a  heathen,  but  had 
concluded  to  accept  the  form  of  religion  then  called  Chrisianity.  The 
thought  occurred  to  him  that  if  baptism  were  necessary  for  his  salvation 
what  had  become  of  his  dead  ancestors  who  had  died  heathens.  This 
thought  framed  itself  into  an  inquiry  which  he  addressed  to  the  Bishop. 
The  prelate,  less  politic  than  many  of  his  sect,  bluntly  told  him  they  had 
gone  to  hell.  "Then,  by  Thor,  I  will  go  there  with  them,"  said  the  king, 
and  thereupon  refused  to  accept  baptism  or  to  become  a  Christian. 

When  the  Latter-day  Saints  received  the  gospel,  and  learned  that  there 
is  but  one  way  by  which  men  can  be  saved,  their  thoughts  turned  to  their 
dead  ancestry.  What  would  be  their  fate  in  the  great  hereafter  ?  '  In  many 
cases  they  knew  their  parents,  grandparents  and  other  relatives,  had  been 
persons  who  conscientiously  lived  up  to  the  light  they  had  received  and 
served  God  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  The  words  of  the  prophet  Malachi 
as  quoted  by  the  angel  Moroni  to  the  Prophet  Joseph,  were  literally  fulfilled  : 

"Behold,  I  will  reveal  unto  you  the  Priesthood,  by  the  hand  of  Elijah 
the  prophet,  before  the  coming  of  the  great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord. ' ' 

"And  he  shall  plant  in  the  hearts  of  the  children,  the  promises  made  to 
the  fathers,  and  the  hearts  of  the  children  shall  turn  to  their  fathers ;  if  it 
were  not  so  the  whole  earth  would  be  utterly  wasted  ?at  His  coming." 

As  predicted,  Elijah,  the  Prophet  did  come.  The  hearts  of  the  fathers 
were  turned  to  the  children,  and  the  children  to  the  fathers,  according  to 
the  promise.  Then  came  the  revelation  of  God's  plan  for  the  salvation  of 
the  dead  who  had  passed  away  without  the  opportunity  of  receiving  the 
ordinances  of  the  gospel,  administered  by  those  whom  God  had  authorized 
to  perform  them  in  His  name.  Peter's  words  were  explained,  where  he 
says : 

"For  for  this  cause  was  the  gospel  preached  also  to  them  that  are  dead, 
that  they  might  be  judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but  live  according 
to  God  in  the  spirit. ' ' 

Also  Paul's  to  the  Corinthians,  in  which  he  alludes  to  baptism  for  the 
dead : 

"Else  what  shall  they  do  which  are  baptized  for  the  dead,  if  the  dead 
rise  not  at  all  ?  Why  are  they  then  baptized  for  the  dead  ?' ' 

God's  justice  and  mercy  were  vindicated.  The  comprehensive  and  far- 
reaching  character  of  the  atonement  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  made  plain,  and 
the  children  of  men  had  renewed  cause  to  extol  the  glorious  plan  of  salvation 
provided  for  the  redemption  of  the  human  family.  Jesus  had  died  for  all. 
His  vicarious  atonment  had  broken  the  bands  of  death.  In  a  limited  sphere, 
by  the  revelation  of  the  sublime  doctrine  of  baptism  for  the  dead,  His 
brethren  and  sisters  had  the  glorious  privilege  accorded  them  of  becoming 
saviors,  and  contributing  to  the  general  salvation  of  the  race.  They,  also, 
could,  vicariously,  officiate  for  those  who  had  died  without  the  opportunity 
of  obeying  baptism  and  other  ordinances  essential  to  salvation,  administered 
by  legally  authorized  servants  of  God, 


512  APPENDIX. 

NOTE   5. 

THE  Illinois  Springfiell  Register  said  of  the  Prophet's  candidacy  : 
."GENERAL  JOSEPH  SMITH  A  CANDIDATE  FOR  PRESIDENT. 

"It  appears  by  the  Nauvoo  papers  that  the  Mormon  Prophet  is  actually 
a  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  He  has  sent  us  his  pamphlet,  containing 
an  extract  of  his  principles,  from  which  it  appears  that  he  is  up  to  the  hub 
for  a  United  States  bank  and  a  protective  tariff.  On  these  points  he  is 
much  more  explicit  than  Mr.  Clay,  who  will  not  say  that  he  is  for  a  bank, 
but  talks  all  the  time  of  restoring  a  national  currency.  Nor  will  Mr.  Clay 
say  what  kind  of  tariff  he  is  for.  He  says  to  the  south  that  he  has  not 
sufficiently  examined  the  present  tariff,  but  thinks  very  likely  it  could  be 
amended. 

"General  Smith  professes  no  such  fastidious  delicacy.  He  comes  right 
out  in  favor  of  a  bank  and  a  tariff,  taking  the  true  Whig  ground,  and  ought 
to  be  regarded  as  the  real  Whig  candidate  for  President,  until  Mr.  Clay  can 
so  far  recover  from  his  shuffling  and  dodging  as  to  declare  his  sentiments 
like  a  man. 

"At  present  we  can  form  no  opinion  of  Clay's  principles,  except  as 
they  are  professed  by  his  friends  in  these  parts. 

"  Clay,  himself,  has  adopted  the  notion  which  was  once  entertained  by 
an  eminent  grammarian,  who  denied  that  language  was  intended  as  a  means 
to  ex  press  one's  ideas  but  insisted  that  it  was  invented  on  purpose  to  aid  us 
in  concealing  them." 

The  Iowa  Democrat  said  : 

"A  NEW  CANDIDATE  IN  THE  FIELD. 

"We  see  from  the  Nauvoo  Neighbor  that  General  Joseph  Smith,  the 
great  Mormon  Prophet,  has  become  a  candidate  for  the  next  Presidency. 
We  do  not  know  whether  he  intends  to  submit  his  claims  to  the  National 
Convention,  or  not ;  but,  judging  from  the  language  of  his  own  organ,  we 
conclude  that  he  considers  himself  a  full  team  for  all  of  them. 

"All  that  we  have  to  say  on  this  point  is,  that  if  superior  talent,  genius 
and  intelligence,  combined  with  virtue,  integrity  and  enlarged  views,  are  any 
guarantee  to  General  Smith's  being  elected,  we  think  that  he  will  be  a  full 
team  of  himself. 

"  The  Missouri  Republican  believes  that  it  will  be  death  to  Van  Buren, 
and  all  agree  that  it  must  be  injurious  to  the  Democratic  ranks,  inasmuch  as 
it  will  throw  the  Mormon  vote  out  of  the  field. ' ' 


